Storyteller: Guardian of Faith
by KikaLee
Summary: Ranon Patricks is 17 and slowly losing her belief in all things magical. Even though she tells stories of enchantment to the children of her town. But Ranon has the spirit of Storyteller inside of her, a Guardian who lost her powers due to Pitch Black. If she manages to keep her faith until she's 18, she can rejoin her fellow Guardians. The world needs its faith back... and quick.
1. Introduction: Time to Get Her Back

_'You can do anything, as long as you have faith in yourself.'_

"Miss Patricks, will the Tooth Fairy come visit me tonight?" a young girl named Suzy asked. She stretched her hands out to a young woman, to whom she addressed as Miss Patricks. The woman smiled warmly and picked up the small 4-year-old.

"Of course, sweetheart. Do you brush your teeth?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Floss and use mouthwash?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Every single night?"

"And every morning, too!"

"She's going to love your tooth, Suzy," Miss Patricks told her. The small blonde giggled and wrapped her precious hands around the woman's neck. The teacher walked to the cubby room, the place where all the children hung up their winter jackets and ski pants. With one smooth motion, she set the child down. Suzy raced to her cubby and carefully set her tooth on her shelf. She got dressed quickly and hastily. The child almost forgot her hats and mitts!

"Oh, goodness. Can't forget these, Suzy. Jack Frost might nip your fingers and ears," Miss Patricks said as she grabbed the matching wool hat and mitts to Suzy.

"Jack Frost only likes me playing outside when I'm warm, right?" the girl asked as the woman put on her outdoor gear.

"That's right. That way, you'll have more fun," she agreed then tapped the bridge of Suzy's nose. The small girl smiled. It was radiant and pure. It was full of everything that belonged to innocent children. "Now, your mother's waiting for you outside."

Miss Patricks watched as the last of her students got picked up from the daycare. She sighed softly. Her warm smile disappeared as her worries enveloped her. There were so many things to do, so little time.

"Ranon?" one of the other daycare teachers called out. The young woman looked back. A chill surrounded her, as if telling her to close the door. She did as the wind told her. "Good job today. The children really love you. I'm glad you were able to fill in for Lillian today."

"Thanks. It's really no problem at all. I'll just spend some time after school tomorrow for anything I missed in class," she said and looked back out the daycare entrance. "The children needed me more today than my chemistry teacher did."

"You truly are an angel, Ranon. Juggling a job and senior year. Not to mention all those children at home. Sometimes I wonder if you really _are _only 17, " the older woman smiled. She patted the young woman's back before heading back into her office.

Ranon Patricks was 17 years old. She'd turn 18 on December 31. She was in her senior year of high school. However, she was also a daycare teacher. She was an honour roll student. And an older sister to 9 other siblings. Her mother was an personal support worker and worked in an elderly home. However, her mother was getting sicker the more time passed by. Which left Ranon to help out whenever and wherever she could.

She was the shining beacon for most of the children in the small town she lived in. She told stories that enchanted the innocent minds. Filled with magic. Wonder. Hope. Dreams. Memories. And especially, fun. She made sure that the children believed.

But who would be there to make sure she believed?

"That's where we come in," North exclaimed. "We are to make sure Ranon believes in the stories she's telling the children. If she loses her faith, then she'll grow up. And the Storyteller will be lost for another hundred years."

"Storyteller? Wait, what's going on here? Who's the Storyteller?" Jack Frost asked as the Guardians listened to North's proclamation.

"The Storyteller was once a Guardian. Children usually called her the Fairy Godmother. She granted wishes and told stories to the children all over the world. She was the Guardian of Faith," Tooth Fairy explained. "Pitch Black reduced her powers to almost nothing once. No child would listen to her stories because of their nightmares and fears. She became mortal again, she was so powerless. She eventually lost her faith in herself and died. Every hundred years since then, a child has been born with the spirit of the Storyteller. If she can keep her faith until her 18th birthday, the Storyteller will be reunited with us again. She'll finally be where she belongs."

"There was another Guardian? W-Well how long has she been lost?" Jack asked.

"A thousand years, mate. 10 children since then have grown up and become the nicest blokes we've ever seen. But they all never fit in. They were barely recognized for their efforts," Bunny murmured. "It's our job to get Story back. She needs to be where she belongs."

* * *

_**Hey, everyone! It's KikaLee! So thank you for reading my little intro. Hope you like it!~ And I don't plan on having any romance. I don't think. Maybe. I don't know. If you like this, please, oh, please review? It would mean so much to me! Until next time!**_


	2. One: Snow Day

_**Guess who? That's right, it's me, KikaLee! Well, this is a rather boring chapter, in my opinion. But it's vital to know Ranon's family before anything else can go on. After this, it'll get more interesting, I promise!**_

* * *

"Ray! Tay! Jay!" Ranon snapped. "I am not telling you again, clean up your toys before you go outside!"

Raylor, Taylor and Jaylor were 11-year-old triplets and siblings of Ranon. There was Raylor, the oldest triplet. He acted like he was the bravest and most mature. He does his best to protect the family who's younger than him. Taylor, who was 9 minutes younger than Raylor, was in actuality the most mature out of the three. She was sweet and level-headed. Always willing to help the older kids, which included Ranon. Jaylor, the youngest triplet, who was 7 minutes younger than Taylor, was a bit goofy and always trying to make the other kids laugh. He had trouble taking things seriously, always off in his fantasy world.

"Aw, c'mon, Rannie! Please? It's a snow day! We can clean them up later!" Taylor pleaded. She clasped her chubby hands together. Her cherubic face was adorable and would make anyone else fall under her spell.

"Yeah, okay. Like you guys washed the dishes after supper yesterday, right?" the 17-year-old retorted back. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. The three children looked at each other rather guiltily. Defeated, they marched back up to their room and began cleaning up the toys they were so extravagantly playing with moments before.

A second of silence fell on the house. Ranon knew better than to enjoy it because just then, two screaming girls stormed up from downstairs.

"You stole my brush!"

"I didn't steal anything! Did you check the nursery?"

"Why would it be there? _You _had it the last time I saw it!"

"I put it back the last time I used it!"

_"Ranon!" _Both girls screamed at the teenager.

"Ruka, it's in the nursery. Rin took it to play with her Barbies. Ruby, you know better than to use Ruka's brush," Ranon said. The girls glared at each other. Then, Ruka, the older of the two, went to go get her prized brush.

Ruka had just turned 16. She was going through the 'privacy' phase where everything that was hers could only be touched by her. Someone could only go into her room with her permission. Ruby, on the other hand, was 13 and idolized Ruka. She couldn't help but to cherish the moments Ruka spent actually hanging out with her. Despite this, the two got on each other's nerves easily and quickly.

Suddenly, a wail could be heard in the nursery. Ruka had taken her brush away from Rin. Rin was only 5 years old. She was a good girl but had a bad habit of taking things that wasn't hers. Other than that, she was a well-behaved child. Ruka stomped out of the nursery, brush in hand, with a small-framed Rin following right behind her.

Ranon quickly picked up the girl before she could make it down the stairs, where the three eldest girls had their own rooms. The 17-year-old managed to calm down Rin enough so that her cries were mere hiccups. Ruby had wandered off somewhere, probably to find the triplets.

"Where's Ryan?" Rin mumbled softly, her small hand clutching onto Ranon's long brown hair. Ryan was 9 years old and the baby boy of the family. One more year and he'd be out of the nursery. However, he spent a lot of his time with the two other boys, Ray and Jay.

"Did you check in the triplets' room?" Ranon asked the small girl. Rin shook her hand and wiped at her eyes. She put her down and instantly, Rin made a beeline for the only room on the top floor.

"Now the only children I haven't seen are-"

"Rannie!" two baby voices rang out. They sounded truly angelic. Full of purity and innocence. Her leg was instantly attacked by Rosie May, a 2-year-old with a serious 'mine' problem. They don't call it the terrible twos for no reason. A chubby 1-year-old started crawling towards Ranon, who was in the kitchen. Her name was Emily.

Really different from the others, huh? Emily was Ranon's aunt who had died in a car crash. The only good choice their father had made that concerned children was to name the baby of the family after her. Now, they couldn't call her the runt. Out of all the children, she was the heaviest baby. Not to mention, the most behaved.

She picked up Emily and ruffled Rosie May's hair. The two babies smiled. They were so adorable and just overall lovely. She tried smiling back. But being confronted by them all made her remember something. They weren't fully her siblings. They all had the same father but almost all of them had different mothers.

Their father was a player and a careless man. The mothers of the younger children all dumped them on him and he, in turn, dumped them onto Ranon's mother. Being in the lineage of a Guardian, Ranon's mother took them in without hesitation. She managed to care for each and every one of them as her own. Their father pays visits at times but mostly, it's met with bitterness from the older kids. Ruka, Ruby and the triplets all equally disliked their father. Ryan, Rin and the babies love him as they should. They were just young children after all.

A snowball suddenly hit the window that looked onto the backyard. Ranon yelped, which made Emily jump. She looked out the window and saw no one. She was about to roll her eyes and blame it on the neighbour. Instead of doing so, she got a peculiar but fun idea.

"Hey, you guys!" she yelled out. "It's a snow day, right? Last one outside has to wash the dishes after supper!"

Instantly, stomping of feet could be heard throughout the house. The jacket room was a room off the kitchen and had everyone's snowsuits in them. The closest people were Ranon and the babies. She ushered the two into the jacket room and hurriedly got them dressed. She managed to get them both into their snowsuits without tantrums.

The trio were the first outside the house. After that was Rin and Ryan. Surprisingly, the triplets came strolling out. Usually, they were the last to do everything. Which resulted in them getting stuck with the crummy chores. The competition was between Ruby and Ruka. And the next person outside was...

"Ruby! No fair, you hid my boots on me!" Ruka yelled as she stood in the doorway, struggling to put her boots on. Ruby was giggling as she met up with the younger kids. However, the other kids were just waiting to see who was going to get beaten up. Usually, it was Raylor. Despite being 5 years younger than her, he was the only one brave enough to take on the strongest Patricks kid.

Once she was outside, Ruka was instantly hit with a snowball. All the children gasped, even the babies. "Who hit Ruka?"

"I didn't hit Ruka."

"Who hit Ruka?!"

Laughter echoed through the yard. Ruka was laughing. After being all fired up from Ruby's prank _and _being hit with a snowball, she managed to laugh. Her laugh soon became a donkey's bray. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't contain her 'normal' laugh. Ruka was very self-conscious and hated her donkey-bray laugh. She usually tried to cover it up.

Soon, all the other kids began to giggle. Even Emily, who was in the small slide that Ranon always held and dragged around with a rope, managed to clap and laugh. Everyone began throwing snowballs at each other while some grabbed toboggans from the withered shed. They began climbing the hill that was at the back of their huge backyard. They slid down, spinning and hollering. Rosie May didn't get the concept of a snowball fight but she had fun making snowballs and piling them on top of each other. Emily was having fun just watching all the children at play. Honestly, so was Ranon.

'So, the big sister's finally having some fun, huh?'

Ranon's eyes widened as she turned around. Was that a voice she just heard? Or was it just the wind? Her eyes darted around the backyard. There was nothing out of the ordinary. There were no other kids other than the Patricks. She began to chew her bottom lip. It was probably just the wind. She shouldn't get so wound up over such things.

On the roof of the house, Jack Frost looked at the Patricks enjoying their snow day. He didn't want to get too close. If what he heard was true, Ranon made sure that all the children she knew believed in the Guardians. Then that meant that the Patricks would be able to see Jack. Oh, how he loved to be seen. But how he hated to be away from the fun sometimes. He wanted to be right there with them, sliding down the hill and throwing snowballs at each other.

However, he noticed how Ranon reacted. She could hear him but not see him. She was losing her faith, slowly but surely. That wasn't good. He'd have to report that to the others. Even small Emily met eye contact with Jack the moment he stood beside her.

Jack still managed to smile. Ruka was getting a little temperamental again. She was getting exasperated at Ray and Tay arguing at the top of the hill. She was about to start yelling at them. But then Jack conjured a fun snowflake and let it softly touch Ruka's nose. It exploded into blue snow dust then the teenager cracked a grin.

"Catch me, guys!" she yelled as she dove onto the toboggan. She slid down the hill, Ray and Tay following closely after. Ryan was constructing a snowman at the bottom of the hill. He showed a toothless grin as he saw Ruka coming in hot. He dove out of the way and watched the snowman explode. Everyone began whooping, even Ranon.

The first snow day of the year was always the best one. Especially to the big Patricks family.


	3. Two: No Teenager Believes in Santa Claus

_**Boo! It's me again! So yeah, I died when I heard Bunnymund's Australian accent. I realized how much I loved Australian accents. I thought of drawing up a background between Storyteller and Bunnymund, but I'm not sure. Would that be weird?**_

* * *

"That's a problem. But she can hear you?" North asked, hope filling in his voice. Jack nodded, twirling his staff around idly.

"She heard me, all right. But maybe that's because the actual Storyteller never met me. Storyteller's faith in Jack Frost was never there to begin with. To Ranon, it's just a story, right?" the silver-haired boy mumbled. Bunny couldn't help but to smirk.

"For once, the little bugger is counting on blokes not believing in him."

Tooth went up to the large Easter Bunny and tapped the bridge of his nose. Her wings fluttered at a ludicrous rate. A scowl, too soft to be mean, donned her face. "Oh hush up, Bunny. Jack may have a point. But what could we do? We can't go too close to Ranon when she's at home. One of her brothers or sisters might see us!" she exclaimed.

"You could go see her at the high school," Jack suggested. He leaned against the wall beside the fireplace. It was a hot place for such a cold being. Literally. Jack was sweating buckets. But he didn't want to move. Here, he'd have a perfect view of the irony. "I mean, how many other teenagers believe in Santa Claus nowadays?"

North cracked a jolly ol' grin. "None. Except the Patricks."

* * *

Ranon rolled her eyes. How she managed to become friends with the gossiping drama queens of her grade was beyond her. They weren't even good stories. Where's the moral? Where's the message? The lesson? Honestly, maybe, they could use proper English once in a while.

"So, Rannie… found a boyfriend yet?" a short brunette named Laura asked. She had light brown eyes and a mouse-like face. She was pretty with a huge attitude. It was no wonder why she always got herself into some cliché drama. The young woman cracked a smile.

"Are you kidding me? Gee, I have so much time on my hands that finding a guy just slipped my mind," Ranon said with a small hint of sarcasm.

"Okay, okay. How about we go through what you look for? We could play Cupid!" a tall blonde named Gaia exclaimed with a giddy tone in her voice. For the umpteenth time since her lunch started, Ranon rolled her eyes.

"I told you guys. He has to be good with kids!"

"And…?"

"Well, he can't be too hasty. He has to be the type to just wait for the right moment."

A giggle from Laura. "And…?"

"I always pictured him sort of a… strong and a down-to-earth type of guy."

"Ohhh! Like a Ranger. Rannie, this is so cute! And…?"

"You guys, you know exactly what I'm going to say next."

"He has to be Australian!" both girls squealed. Ranon rolled her eyes. 'There's half an hour of lunch left. I can do this,' she thought to herself over and over again.

"Oh, what if the next exchange student was Australian?"

"And he was an Outback drover like you see in the movies? That'd be to die for!"

"What if he fell in love with Rannie?"

"Oh, she'd be so happy!" Squeals and giggles ringed in her ears. How she managed to stay friends with the gossiping drama queens was even more beyond her. Gaia and Laura continued gushing over the imaginary drover who'd sweep Ranon off her feet.

"What do you know? I have a math test to study for! Catch you girls later!" she said with a sing-song voice. The two girls didn't even notice. They were too busy painting Mr. Perfect. Who apparently had sandy blonde hair, tattoos down his arms and across his shoulders, and could shoot boomerangs across the Outback.

Ranon went to her locker and grabbed her math textbook. She didn't have a test to study for. She just wanted to get away from the squealing. Gaia and Laura were actually really good friends. It was just that they gossiped too much. Out of complete and utter habit, she began to balance her textbook and notebook on her head. She began to walk.

Her steps became light and her walk became a sway. She wasn't having trouble balancing the books, not at all. She did it with so much ease that it just seemed natural to walk in an elegant fashion. She was too busy concentrating on her walk that she barely noticed the boy walking backwards in front of her. Her eyes widened and with a small turn, she dodged the boy. It looked almost coordinated, the way Ranon moved.

"Sorry!" she called out. She didn't stop to see if he was alright but she heard a 'it's no problem'. It was with the smallest hint of an Australian accent. It made Ranon form a sweet smile.

The library entrance came into view. However, there was a tall, stocky man in front of it. No one else seemed to mind him, though. Ranon's eyes widened. He had a big belly and a white beard. He had a huge red coat on with brown fur linings. His boots were black and he had on a furry hat. She was speechless. It couldn't be him.

"Y-You're not. You can't be. I mean. You just can't! Who paid you? Who are you? Why does no one else notice you?" she asked, her voice stumbling over many of the words. She was jumbled to say the least.

"I am."

"Prove it to me. I never show anyone my Christmas list! Ever since I could learn how to write!" she exclaimed. "If you could tell me what I wish for Christmas when I was...8. Then you could tell me."

"Bah! You know that your parents and grandparents peeked into your wishlist! They wanted to buy you gifts too, you know! When you were 5, you wish for something I couldn't give you. You wanted to be a boy! Out of all the things a child could wish for, you wanted to be a boy! No more poofy dress, you say. No more acting like a lady. Until you turned 13, you wish for that every Christmas. No one knew. Except me."

_Thud. _

Ranon fainted. It was the real Santa Claus. He just said out loud the childhood wish she wanted for 8 years. She just couldn't deal with the embarrassment she felt. Not that anyone heard North. He was invisible to everyone else. The teenagers of the modern times didn't believe in Santa Claus. They did put up a pretty good charade during the holidays, though.

"Ho ho! Snow globe! To the Ice Palace!" North yelled as he brought out his magical snow globe. Instantly, a portal opened. It showed the Ice Palace in all its glory. North picked up the unconscious 17-year-old and strolled into the portal.

There was no one in the hallway. But once Gaia and Laura noticed that Ranon was gone, they began to search for her. Gaia suggested that Ranon might've went home because she wasn't feeling so well. However, when her tired mother answered the home phone, Gaia instantly hung up. Ranon wasn't at home. So, where could she be?


	4. Three: Santa's Workshop

_**Wahhhhhhh. I am going to spazz out. Hugh Jackman has such an amazing Australian accent. Worthless author note, I know. But here's to another chapter! And hopefully more love! I mean, I love all of you guys so much already! :'D I just want some love returned. 3**_

* * *

Jack rolled his eyes as he crouched down beside the unconscious Ranon. "You knocked her out, North?" his tone wasn't accusing or even angry. It was sarcastically amused.

"She fainted when I told her I was the real Santa!" North defended himself, throwing his huge hands in the air. The booming, still jolly voice thundered around the workshop. It caused Ranon to stir slightly. Bunnymund hopped closer to the sleeping girl.

Ranon rubbed her eyes as she slowly began to sit up. Propping herself on hers elbow, she began to mumble, "Who messed with my alarm clock? I didn't hear it this morning..."

Her voice reduced to nothing as she stared wide-eyed at the large bunny in front of her. She blinked a couple of times. Bunny managed a smile and a small 'ello'. A shrill scream filled the air.

The young woman looked around, in a panic, until she saw North. As quick as her feet could carry her, she ran to him an hid in the folds of his huge red coat. Her arm could be seen wrapped around his waist. Or, at least trying to wrap around it. His belly was so round that her arms didn't fit around him. North let out a loud laugh.

"She doesn't recognize any of ya!" he yelled out, clearly amused. Tooth flitted around North, trying to get a peek at Ranon. Sandy stood by North, trying not to show how interested he was. Bunny suddenly lost interest, hopping away to the other side of the room . Jack stayed where he was, unsure of what to do.

Slowly but surely, Ranon poked her head out of the huge coat. Her eyes looked up at North. He gave an reassuring nod to her. It took one hesitant step away from the Guardian. Instantly, Tooth flew towards her, sticking her hands inside Ranon's mouth.

"Oh my goodness, they all came in so nicely! I thought you were going to have your father's teeth! Look at them, so straight! See? I told you she wouldn't need braces," Tooth exclaimed. Her half-smile was directed to Baby Tooth. The smaller fairy huffed and crossed her arms. Eventually, she conjured a coin from seemingly out of nowhere and gave it to Tooth. A small squeal came from Tooth's lips.

"Hands out!" North exclaimed. Tooth made an 'oops' sound and instantly took her hands out of Ranon's mouth. The young woman pursed her lips slightly.

"You're the Tooth Fairy?" she asked, bewildered. She began to look around the woman, finally seeing straight. Her eyes laid upon the small, silent, golden figure beside North. "You're the Sandman! Y-You give me dreams at night! ... Last night, I dreamed of marrying someone. Why is that, silly spirit?"

The silent Guardian smiled sheepishly. A golden question mark made of sand hovered over Sandy's head. Ranon laughed. She looked around and saw the huge rabbit. Ranon chewed her lip then grinned. "I know who you are!" she exclaimed, "You're the Easter Bunny. You made me clean up my house when I was 6!"

"Too right you are, dearie," Bunnymund said. Ranon laughed joyously. She had a hard time believing it. But they were right there in front of her. The legends she thought were only legends. The legends she told stories of.

Jack cleared his throat. He created a small, chilly wind and sent it towards Ranon. She shivered. Her eyes looked over the room over and over but she found no one else. She blinked once, twice. There has to be another. Who else did she tend to talk about?

A snowflake had fallen on her nose. She let out a small sneeze. It had started to snow inside! Ranon let out another laugh. There was only one person left, she realized. After closing her eyes and twirling around in the falling snow, she opened them to see a boy who looked about her age. "Jack Frost!"

It was all real! Everything her mother told her. Everything she told younger kids. Every single bit of it was real! She looked out onto the balcony. There was a huge globe, with lights all over it. Surrounding the globe were floors and floors of Yetis working and elves pulling pranks. She was in Santa's workshop. Another childish laugh rang through the air.

Small, magical paper airplanes whizzed by her, flying around the workshop. Ranon smiled. The last one had a crumpled wing and didn't fly as well as the others. The teenager held out her hand. The plane landed on it as she began to smoothen out the wing. "There you are, little guy," she said. The plane took off and started following the other planes.

The teenager grinned as she climbed onto the rail and stood on it. Bunnymund hurriedly went to her side. "Dearie, be careful now. Don't want to fall and split'chur head wide open."

"Have a little faith, Easter Bunny!" she said and laughed. Just then, a rope fell from the top of the workshop. Ranon grinned, looking slightly mischievous. Before Bunny could grab her, she jumped to the rope, clinging onto it as she circled the globe. Whoops and hollers could be heard from her.

On the other side, Ranon jumped and held onto the railing. She hoisted her body over it and began to explore the workshop. Yeti's yelling and Ranon's rambling could be heard. Laughter was everywhere. Explosions of toys could be seen every now and then. North's jolly laughter also joined the chorus of chaotic sounds.

"Oh, she's definitely Story, all right," Bunny murmured, an unamused expression on his face.

"What was that? Ranon can't possibly be a Guardian! She's too...too... well, she's too much fun!" Jack exclaimed, pointing his staff at the explosion of teddy bears that just occurred.

"What better way to understand a child than to be a child? Storyteller teaches children to have faith in themselves, as well as others," North told the newest Guardian. Jack scoffed. A Guardian who's just as chaotic as he was... maybe even more so. Because just then, a Yeti walked up to the band of Guardians.

Phil was carrying Ranon. She was wrapped up in Christmas paper, a red bow in her dark brown hair. She laughed lightly. The Yeti grunted then dropped Ranon. She rolled out of the wrapping paper, landing at Sandy and North's feet. She was holding up a teddy bear that had a plaid jacket on. "I want this for Christmas, Santa! He'd be the perfect addition to my collection!" she exclaimed childishly.

North laughed heartily. "Consider it a homecoming present then, my child. You are home now."

Ranon's eyes widened. She dropped the teddy bear. Her jaw dropped. She couldn't form any thoughts but _'is Santa's workshop really my home?'_

"Not technically here, dearie. You'd come live with me in the Warren. Like old times," Bunny said with a soft smile. Ranon finally showed some emotion. She was perplexed and confused.

"That can't be right! You all are legends! Ranon Patricks is _not_ a legend. Half the people in my school don't even know I exist. What could I possibly be amongst all of you?" she asked, her voice raising. Sandy frowned slightly. A book made of sand showed up above his head. It opened and children surrounded it. Ranon didn't get what he was trying to tell her. She was just as confused as she was before.

"You are Storyteller. A Guardian and protector of children. The one who came up with all the fairy tales. The one who kept us alive for so long!" North bellowed out. Ranon shook her head.

"No. No. That's not me. I'm only 17. I couldn't have come up with fairy tales. Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm. They did... didn't they?" Ranon countered, althought she was a little doubtful. Another argument arose in her thoughts. "And the kids. My brothers and sisters! They need someone to look after them! I can't just leave them like this! You have to see. I'm not made for this."

"W-What's going on? I don't understand. She believes. She should remember us. Story _should _remember us," Tooth murmured, speaking at an incredibly fast rate. She moved from place to place, looking a little panicked.

Sandy tapped his chin. Then an exclamation mark appeared over his head. Then the number 17. Bunny nodded since he was the only one who caught Sandy's point. "She's only 17, mates. She has to believe until she's 18. Then Story will rejoin us, again. That's the way it has to be," Bunnymund exclaimed, making strong hand motions.

"I'm not this Storyteller!" Ranon screamed. She clutched the teddy bear tightly, her knuckles turning white. "I'm Ranon Patricks. I'm a senior at the town high school. I'm an honour roll student. I'm a daycare teacher, part time. I'm an older sister, full time. Guardian isn't anywhere in that description! And it'll never be."

The young woman wiped at her face gingerly. She stood up quickly and ran away from the group. She found a corner of a window, overlooking the view of the mountains. She climbed onto the windowsill then curled up into a ball. She refused to cry but that didn't stop a few tears from flowing down her cheeks. She was so far away from her family. She only hoped they were alright.


	5. Four: Bloody Nightmare

She didn't know how long she stayed on that windowsill. Everything there didn't seem to matter to her. Ranon only wanted to be where her family was. All her life, everything was about family. She went to school to role model for the younger ones. She came home and cleaned for the younger ones. She cooked for the younger ones. She went to her job for the younger ones. Everything she did had some sort of connection to her family. Being without them was like being without an arm or a leg. She just couldn't picture herself without it.

From the corner of eye, she saw something move. She didn't bother to look, only raised the teddy bear that was in her lap. A snowball hit the window glass. Some snow dust landed on her but she just brushed it off. She continued to not pay any attention to Jack Frost.

"You usually don't have as quick reflexes," the silver-haired boy muttered.

"I'm thinking about other things usually. My mind isn't as one-tracked as it is now," she said back, refusing to look at the boy.

"And what's that one track, if I may ask?"

"I want my family. I haven't thought so much about them. I wonder what they're doing, hope that they're safe. Jack, you have to understand. I've never been without a family," she said. She wasn't staring at the window anymore. She was looking at the teddy bear who returned to her lap. She was pleading the Guardian, though it loses its credibility the longer she didn't look at him.

"Have a little faith, Ranon. You were meant to be this Storyteller. The rest of the Patricks are meant to become great and compassionate people," Jack tried soothing the young woman. She just shook her head vigorously.

"Some people just want to be noticed. They are begging for it. They want attention from everyone else... I don't. I am happy just the way I am. I may be stressed, but that's life. I am happy. I don't want anything to change," Ranon countered back. Jack was a little taken back by such a statement. He wanted what she doesn't. He just really couldn't understand her. She was happy beforehand. He wasn't before he joined the Guardians.

"There's got to be a hole missing. Something you want but you just can't seem to find anywhere. Something you need. You just... can't be completely happy," Jack mumbled and sighed. He didn't know what to say. Maybe it was the right push. Maybe it wasn't. However, Ranon finally looked at him. She blinked and crinkled her nose. It was an expression. Jack just couldn't figure out what expression it was supposed to represent.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. Jack could tell he wasn't wanted. Staff in hand, he made his way out of North's headquarters. Unfinished toys made out of ice were everywhere. Jack normally would test them out and play with them. However, Ranon's words put a damper on his spirit.

As soon as he closed the door, the other Guardians surrounded him. Tooth looked at him eagerly, a smile on her face. North talked animatedly with wide eyes. Bunnymund was concerned, though hope sounded in his voice. He sighed and frowned.

"She still thinks that she's not fit for the job. She wanted to be alone. We all should grant her that wish," Jack said, sounding very serious. He hasn't been so serious since Pitch threatened the world with darkness and fear. It looked like the enthusiasm was suck out of all of them as they continued to do their everyday things.

Eventually, night fell over the world. Tooth Fairy and Sandman left to do their duties. Tooth went to collect all the teeth of children while Sandy filled their sleep with wondrous dreams. There was one child, who wasn't really a child, he forgot. Mainly because she wasn't in the place where she slept almost every night.

Ranon was sleeping soundly, never moving from her place on the windowsill. North had covered her in a warm, wool blanket. She didn't have any dreams. Not at first. But then, she saw 9 other familiar people. Her family. Ruka. Ruby. Raylor. Taylor. Jaylor. Ryan. Rin. Rosie May. And Emily.

She was smiling in her sleep. At first. But then so many things happened at first. She was suddenly surrounded by people. She couldn't see any of her siblings. That was enough to make her anxiety level rise. Her heart started to pound. Her breathing increased by exponential intervals. She couldn't see them. They could be in danger. They could be hurt. She didn't know where they were. She didn't know where she was.

Then, everything was dark. She tried so desperately to scream. But no sound came out of her mouth. Her voice wasn't there. She could feel her throat drying, her lungs running out of air. She was exerting the energy _to _scream but just couldn't. No one could hear her. No one could comfort her. This feeling of helplessness overcame her. She couldn't do anything. There was only darkness everywhere. She began to cry, though no tears and no sound came out. All this energy for nothing.

Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she felt wetness all over her stomach. She smelled something horrible. Something she knew from heart and knew to avoid at all costs. Ranon has hemophobia. The specific and irrational fear of blood. Light began to illuminate her. Her eyes adjusting to the sight of her hand.

Her hand was dripping blood. It wasn't her own but she couldn't hold it in. A scream filled the air. Her hand was crimson, her clothes were crimson. Everywhere she looked, there was blood. The sight of it made her head spin, made her eyes burn and spill tears. She couldn't explain herself. She was so afraid. As light began to illuminate her surroundings as well, her sobs came harder. She couldn't breathe. It hurt to do so. But she just had to cry.

* * *

Jack was twirling around his staff idly, pacing back and forth. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to go back home. He should've went back home, in his opinion. North went back to preparing for Christmas. When it came to the month of December, North never seemed to sleep. Bunnymund stayed, only because of Ranon. He wanted to make sure she was alright. Jack was about to say he'll be back in the morning when a loud scream came from North's quarters.

"Story!" Bunny yelled out and burst into the room. As soon as he did so, a figure jumped into his arms. Hands clutched onto his fur. He could feel his fur getting wet. Ranon woke up from a nightmare. She began to sob shamelessly. Bunny wrapped his arms around her, cradling her. He picked her up, carrying her out to the balcony. She didn't say anything, just clung onto the tall rabbit as if her life was on the line. She didn't stop crying. Her eyes never seemed to open.

North came as quickly as he could, though it was in vain. She didn't speak, didn't move. She only cried and held onto Bunnymund. Jack and North stole glances at each other, both unsure of what to do. What could they do?

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ranon stopped crying. She opened her eyes and looked up at Bunny. Her eyes were completely black and shadowy. Then, with a blink, the blackness was gone. Her chocolate brown irises and the whites of her eyes returned. She still refused to say anything. All she did was continue holding onto Bunny.

Bunnymund, however, couldn't help but to notice the blackness. "Pitch. He visited Story. He gave her bloody nightmares. Something has to be done! He was supposed to stay under that cursed bed!" he yelled, directing it towards North.

"P-P-Pitch?" Ranon whispered, her voice barely audible. "Is that the Boogeyman? Easter Bunny, I'm so scared. I want to go home."

Her hands clutched onto his fur tighter as she buried her face into his chest. She didn't say anything else. She only closed her eyes and listening to his rabbit heartbeat. It beat faster than a human's. She never knew that.

"How 'bout we stay at the Warren for a bit, dearie? No one will hurt you there. You'll be safe with me. The mates here can visit us from time to time, eh? How 'bout it?" Bunnymund suggested, trying to sound cheery. However, he ended up sounding just as worried as Ranon was. The young woman shook her head.

"I want to go home."

Her words were definitive and final. There was going to be no more arguing about it. She bit her lip and looked at the others. Her lips formed the words 'I'm sorry' though no sound came out. North wasn't going to put up a fight. There was no use, keeping her here against her will. Jack didn't feel like it was his place anymore to make her stay. Bunnymund wanted her so desperately for her to stay with him but he couldn't go against her wishes. He was a true gentleman... or gentlebunny.

With a thump-thump from his large feet, a burrow appeared in the wood of the workshop. He reluctantly sighed. It was only for a while. Then he'd have Storyteller back. He can wait that long. He jumped into the burrow, Ranon still in his arms. She only held onto him and anticipated the moment she got to see her siblings again.

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_**Pitch is back? Dun dun dun. Actually, in almost every fanfic Pitch returns. Can't have courage without fear. It's the point of a story, right? Nonetheless, here's another chapter! I feel so much love! *rolls and dies***_


	6. Five: A Moment's Rest

_**Double update! Sort of... This was like a few hours after I uploaded Chapter 4. Nonetheless! I still managed up on the same day! :D 3**_

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"Here you are, dearie... home," Bunnymund said as he slowly helped Ranon to her feet. Her legs were a bit wobbly. The only walking she's done since she woke up was stumbling into Bunny's arms. She took a few cautious steps. The wood was cold against her socks. They were starting to freeze. She suddenly remembered she left her shoes at the workshop and all her winter gear at school. Those she could easily do without, since she has an extra pair of everything. However...

"I took the liberty of grabbing your stuffed mate, dearie. I'm sure you'd miss this little bugger," he said as he dug into the satchel around his waist. He took out the teddy bear with the plaid jacket. Ranon gasped and clutched the teddy bear tightly closed to her chest.

"Thank you, Easter Bunny. So much. For everything! I just... I just can't do it," she said, as if it'd make for an acceptable apology.

"There is a time for everything and everything in its time. Don't worry 'bout it, dearie," Bunnymund said with a soft chuckle. "Hop along. You've probably spooked your entire family by now."

Ranon laughed lightly, a smile spreading on her face. She nodded, feeling secure once again. She turned around and was just about to open the door. "W-Wait! Easter Bunny... will I see you again? Or are you going to disappear like a dream?" she asked curiously.

Bunnymund stopped and grinned. "Everything in its time, dearie. I'll be right seeing you again, I reckon. After Christmas; there ain't no doubt 'bout it."

The girl nodded. Her smile never left her face. "Good-bye... for now."

"Good-bye for now."

_Thump-thump._

And like that, he was gone. The only reminder that this ever happened was the teddy bear. She was going to cherish it forever. Now filled with hesitation, she opened the doorknob.

It was quiet. The house was usually never this silent. Ranon looked at all the shoes. All 9 pairs of boots were home. Other than her mother and her, everyone should be home. She walked in slowly. In the kitchen, there was no one. However, all the dishes were done and the floors were cleaned. The counters were cleared and everything was in its place. Unusual. She looked from the kitchen to the living room. She saw Ruka, sleeping in an awkward position on the couch. The TV was on, playing some corny drama show. Ruka probably fell asleep watching a comedy show and this just happened to be playing afterwards. Ranon wanted to creep downstairs and sleep on her own. But that would seem very rude. They all could have been looking for her, filled with worry.

"Ruka, wake up," Ranon whispered. She nudged the teenager gently. "Ruka... Ruka... Gasp! Do I see One Direction in our backyard?!"

"Who? What? Niall!" Ruka yelled out. Ranon rolled her eyes slightly, even though she had a huge smile on. Niall Horan, the only boy both girls agreed to 'share'. Her smile turned into laughter as Ruka hit her playfully on the shoulder. "Who's this Jack anyway? He left a note at the door saying you weren't going to be home until late."

"Jack? He came here?" Ranon asked, a little confused. How did Jack know she was going to want to come back home? How did he know that her mom wouldn't freak out if there was a note and/or a phone call?

"Well, none of us saw him. He just left a note. It's on the dining table, if you want to see it," Ruka said as she pointed to the huge wooden table in between the kitchen and the living room. Ranon turned her torso to look at the table. Then she looked at Ruka. Table. Ruka. Table. Ruka. Table.

It took a few small skips to reach the table. She saw a blue paper that was folded in half. Ranon picked up with the hand that wasn't occupied with the table.

_'Dear Ms. Patricks,_

_Ranon is staying with me after school. She and I have catching up to do on Chemistry. After that, I promised to take her to the movies. She won't be back until late. I hope you don't mind!_

_- Jack'_

Ranon could feel her eye twitch. She ripped the paper into two then threw them in the garbage. "Good night, Ruka!" she chirped, sounding way too sweet. The 16-year-old blinked and shook her head. She knew when to not ask things. The younger teenager counted for 10 seconds before going downstairs to her own room.

Ranon sighed and collapsed onto her bed. She wished she could fall asleep right then and there. It was hard to. Every time she was in a tired enough state to sleep, a creepy feeling oozed its way down her back. She'd be reminded of her nightmare then was wide awake. It took 11 paces around the hallway of downstairs, 8 face washes, 13 rearrangements of her stuffed animal collection and dozens of pillow adjusting for her to finally fall into a comfortable sleep. And what did she end up thinking about?

The Easter Bunny and the way his fur felt when he held her.

That morning was a special morning. Cartoons until noon for the younger ones. Sleeping in until noon for the older ones. But there was one thing that Ranon didn't have that the others did. A door. That was very vital on a Saturday morning.

A door meant that the sun wouldn't creep in. A door meant muffled cheering, laughing, and cartoon explosions. A door meant 'do not disturb'. A door meant privacy. A door meant not being woken up by the sound of a snow ball hitting the downstairs window.

Ranon's glare could kill anything that morning. Who dared went against her rule saying that no one was allowed outside until everyone was up? Who dared to disturb her much needed sleep? Who dared... look at that adorable little weasel!

Her eyes widened as she saw a rustic orange-coloured animal dashing through the backyard. She stood on her tip-toes to see where it would go but then something got in her way. An upside-down Jack Frost, all smiles. Ranon rolled her eyes, stuck her tongue out at him, then closed the curtains.

She heard feet going down the wooden steps that led to the downstairs door. Just as the doorknob turned, she put all her weight on it and tried her best to lock it. However, Jack was just a little stronger than her.

"Is this any way to treat an immortal spirit?" Jack asked, strained and exasperated.

"Was that any way to tell my mother where I was? Now, she probably thinks I'm dating you!" she growled back, pushing with all her might.

"If I said the real thing, she'd think you've gone crazy! That I'm crazy! She's an adult!" Jack shouted back. He was pushing just as hard as she was.

"You, sir, you generally suck. I don't want to see you. Come around here only on snow days. And even then, don't expect me to come outside. No magic is making me come outside on a snow day ever again!" she yelled then with one final push, closed the door and locked it. With a victorious sigh, she relaxed and shuffled her way back to her bed. Despite it being so close to Christmas, she was dreaming about eggs and chocolate and painting. She was completely content with it. The Easter Bunny got to her somehow during their visit together. She couldn't imagine why. And she certainly had no idea what was going on. But she couldn't wait until after Christmas. She couldn't wait to see him again.

"I'm not some gross person for liking an animal, am I?" she asked once she got back into bed. "But it's not like he's a _real_ animal. He's an immortal spirit. A fable come to life! He's... well, he's Australian. And he's strong. And he just _has _to be good with kids."

Ranon was looking for comfort... from herself. Don't blame her. There wasn't someone she could confide this to. Jack was right, unfortunately. People would think she's crazy. Especially the adults. The kids, not so much. They'd look at her with amazing wonder. They'd ask her to tell a story about it.

A story. Ranon sighed. She let herself fall back onto her pillow. She stared up at the ceiling. A story. She loved telling stories. She loved looking at the faces of the children. She liked watching them imaging her words, bringing them to life. She loved their little tidbits of commentary and questions they'd use to kindly interrupt. It made each story different from the original. There was never the same story. A story. Why was it so hard to wrap her head around that word now? Story.

In her silent turmoil, she managed to fall back asleep. She was sleeping without a dream again, seeing as Sandy didn't realize she fell back asleep. But there was someone who double checked every moment the young woman made.

"So, the same flaw as the original Storyteller. No faith in herself. The need to protect the thing called 'family'. I'll crush you, Ranon, just like I did to Storyteller. Your story will become a tragedy, just you see. Soon, you'll be mine," Pitch murmured from the depths of under the bed. A shadow slowly began to seep onto her blanket from under her bed. It looked vaguely of a menacing claw and it was slowly approaching the peaceful Ranon.


	7. Six: 7 Days

_**This is the shortest chapter I've written, other than the introduction. And it sucks and it's boring. But it is much needed. I'm sure it'll get better! :'D**_

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The rush of the emergency room never failed to make the Patricks family panic. Ruka's been to countless surgeries. Their mother has had one too many 'close calls'. So many of the kids had broken their arms, wrists, legs, ankles, and/or elbows that the town emergency room was no alien experience. But, this time, it was for something unknown. Something that seemed to come straight out of a horror movie.

Ranon was unconscious. What appeared to be burns decorated her body in the most unusual pattern. The first thing that anyone said about her wounds was that it looked like a scary hand. Rin was trying to get Ranon to wake up because she wanted to play outside. The young woman wouldn't wake up. The wounds smelled like burning flesh but the skin itself wasn't raw. They felt jagged like old cuts and scrapes that didn't heal correctly.

The wounds were the most unusual. They were fear wounds, inflicted on a person by shadows. Animate shadows that had a conscious and obeyed only Pitch Black. They couldn't be healed unless the person stopped being afraid. Unless that person was brave enough to overcome her own fears. From the looks of things, Ranon wasn't brave enough.

For a whole week, she was in a living hell. Everything she was afraid of came after her. Everything that she refused to think about. For 7 days, she was weak. For 7 days, she couldn't provide anything for her siblings. For 7 days, she amounted to nothing. Blood, darkness, too crowded, not being in control. All these things came intensifying wave after wave. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to do anything but this.

Pitch had her right where he wanted her. The only person he ever was able to physically harm with shadows was Storyteller and her descendants. She had the ability to make his power stronger, as well as the Guardians. Who has never heard of a scary story? Those were mostly Storyteller's doing but she saw no harm in it. That is, until the day Pitch's power grew strong enough to trap someone in a world of fear. The day Pitch could physically harm someone. Because he knew, like himself and all the other Guardians, Ranon had to die in order to become an immortal spirit.

Remember when Bunnymund had told Jack that they all watched the other 10 descendants grow up to be the 'nicest blokes'? He used the term _grow up_. Meaning, they had lived. Meaning, none of them died to become an immortal spirit at the right time. Well... there's an explanation for that. The Guardians must have not realized that she had to die in order to join them.

Pitch Black knew that. And he was going to keep her in fear until the day after she turns 18. No matter what she believes, she'd be under the influence of Pitch's blackness illusion. She'd grow up, have kids and live a completely normal life. He's been doing this to every single possible Storyteller for a thousand years.

There was no way he'd let her live again. She chose Bunnymund over him. She chose to give the Guardians more power. She chose to not give him enough, so that he'd fade away and no one would believe him. She did those things. It was Storyteller's fault. She uttered the fateful words. She didn't realize what she had done until Pitch was condemned to under the bed. Until the Guardians took over protection of the children. Until she faded away into nothing. She felt guilt to the extreme, due to always trying to please others. And Pitch always used her flaws against her.

"Story's still in the hospital," Bunny muttered, hopping back and forth in the Warren. He'd hop all the way to one end then back to the other. Huge egg statues watched him as he hopped back and forth. They looked at each other with concern. "What is it with all the Storytellers getting sick just around their 18th birthday? It's suspicious, I'm telling ya. I just can't wrap my head 'round why they always get sick."

The two egg statues looked at each other once again then they bent their knees so that they'd see the top of the Warren. Bunny stopped pacing and looked up as well. "Yeah, it's nighttime, mates. I get it... that's just the moon's... the Man in the Moon! You blokes did it! I'll just ask him what to do!"

The large rabbit got on all fours then bounded towards the highest point of the Warren. He began talking with great enthusiasm towards the sky. If one were to think a large six-foot rabbit was normal, then that rabbit talking to the sky wasn't. Still, all the Guardians had the power to speak to the Man in the Moon. He just did so telepathically. Bunnymund wasn't used to psychic talk, so he managed to stay verbal.

Slowly but surely, Bunny was given a plan of action. He was given all the things he needed to get Ranon out of such a nightmare. The Man in the Moon didn't know why he was intervening all of a sudden. But this time every 100 years left Easter not as cheerful as it usually was. Almost every generation dealt with a not-so-happy Easter. That was because of Bunnymund's sadness over the fact that Storyteller was not resurrected and that his reincarnate no longer believed. This time, he was so close. The Man in the Moon feared he might not be able to recover from this one.

"Alright, Pitch, you're going down. Aussie style," Bunny muttered. _Thump-thump._

The large rabbit was on his way to the hospital.


	8. Seven: Need You

_**I probably should've kept her unconscious a little longer. But I know if I were to do that, I'd get stuck on how descriptive her hell would be and stuff. So I didn't write it. That's why it seems to be... not there. :'D Anyways, hope you enjoy and I love reviews! And you guys! ^^;**_

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Once Bunnymund was in the hospital room, he saw an unconscious Ranon. She was laying on the hospital bed. Most would say she was sleeping or at peace but Bunny could tell the fear that she was feeling. Her face was set in a minor frown. Unnoticeable by people who didn't know how to catch things like that. He sighed. A whole week in her version of hell. He could only imagine what that's like.

His paw softly traced the wounds made from the personification of fear itself. When he did so, black sand loosely clung to the fur on his paw. This work was definitely had Pitch all over it.

Suddenly, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He stiffened. Does someone see him? Are the other Patricks children here? He gulped and turned around.

"Crikey, Sandy. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" the large rabbit exclaimed. The Sandman smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "No matter. You got the message from the Man in the Moon, eh?" Sandy nodded. "You know what to do? Try and give her sweet dreams while I give her a reason to wake up."

The Sandman nodded, a determined expression on his face. Golden sand began to fall onto Ranon. Soon, that miniscule frown began to disappear. Bunnymund cleared his throat, trying not to pay attention the Sandy. "Lister here, Ruth-Story... erm, Ranon. I'm supposed to give you a reason to wake up. Well, here goes nothing. Your family needs you. The children need you. Think of how many children have said 'I love you' and 'I wish you'd never leave'. You can't just leave them like this. I certainly need you..."

The rabbit was tempted to say more. He was tempted to say things he'd normally tell Storyteller. But he knew that she wasn't Storyteller. Not yet, anyways. With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes and continued. "You've got a gift, dearie. You're special and you need to wake up. You can finally find where you belong. You can fill that hole. Just wake up. For everyone. For me. For love. Have faith, Rannie."

Her eyes fluttered open, slowly but surely. Once again, her eyes were filled with darkness. They disappeared the longer she stayed awake. Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the room and a huge smile began to grow.

"Easter Bunny! Sandman! You guys!" she exclaimed, sounding like an exuberant child.

She grabbed Bunnymund's wrist then pulled him towards her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, her embrace forever grateful. After a few moments, she let go of Bunny then managed to catch Sandy. She quickly squeezed him. Then the girl laughed softly. "You said I wouldn't see you until after Christmas!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know I said that. Crikey, that scar is pretty nasty," Bunnymund murmured. He took Ranon's chin and tilted her head. The fear wound still prominently shown, though it looked like burn scars more than anything. It looked like a hand that tried to suffocate her, as the scar covered half her face in the shape of a hand. "It looks exactly like when you first..."

The rabbit paused. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Pitch killed Ruth the first time? Has he been attempting to kill her all these times, too? Anger boiled inside him once he made the connection. Pitch was in the way of his happiness. He blinked and his features visibly expressed such fury.

Ranon was instantly on guard. She wasn't scared. Not of the Easter Bunny. Despite changing the way she looked at the holiday, he could never scare her. Her hands retreated to her lap, clasping them together tightly. Sandman raised an eyebrow. He was slightly suspicious of Bunnymund's reaction but said nothing about it. It's kind of expected of him to do that.

"What's going on?" Ranon asked. "D-Did the Boogeyman do something?"

"Nothing, dearie. Don't worry 'bout it. You're safe now. C'mon, your family would be really happy to hear 'bout your recovery," Bunny said. Sandy agreed, nodding his head vigorously. Ranon's eyes suddenly cast down and she began to fiddle with the hospital bed sheets.

"Easter Bunny. Despite being happy... I have never fitted in. I get along better with children than with people my own age. I get along better with immortal spirits than I do with other teenagers. I've never fit in. Even when I was younger, all my cousins and my classmates loved wearing puffy dresses. I hated them. At home, I do get along better with everyone there. But..."

"Too much of something is never good, dearie. Even when it comes to family." Bunnymund smiled. Sandy was a little confused but he went along with it nonetheless. The small, golden spirit ushered Ranon out of the hospital bed. The girl was only in the revealing paper dress. She let out a yelp then hopped back into the bed. She covered herself with the blanket and frowned.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked a little shyly. Bunny scratched his head, muttering to himself. He began to look around the hospital room. He dug into shelves. He found some flower-print scrubs. But he didn't find any normal clothes. He held the scrubs up to Ranon, as if testing to see if she'd approve. The young woman crinkled her nose then nodded. They'd do.

She cautiously stepped off the hospital bed. Quickly taking the clothes, she closed the curtain that surrounded her bed. Ranon pushed the two spirits out of the enclosed curtain area. The two could hear her fumbling around with things and knocking them over.

"Y'know, this is kind of ironic since I know wha- Crikey!" he yelled out as what appeared to be an old lunch platter hit the rabbit's head.

"I know what you're going to say. So, let me guess, you and this Storyteller had a thing going on," Ranon said as she moved the curtain out of the way. "I mean, there is no other explanation as to why... why... this stuff's been going on and you're the centre of it."

Sandy silently laughed as he pointed his small index finger at Bunnymund. "Oh, bug off!" he yelled towards the Guardian who was hovering on a golden-sand stingray.

Bunny then turned to Ranon, who had her hair up in a messy bun. Her scrubs were a little long for her but other than that, they fit perfectly. He smiled wholeheartedly. "Want to know everything, dearie?"

"I'd like to, yes."

"Then we ought to start heading towards Tooth's palace then. She'll help explain everything," Bunny said rather amused. Ranon raised an eyebrow then bit her lip. She didn't know whether or not to take up on the offer. After all, someone could come in and see that she was gone. Who knows what they'd end up doing. The nurse could call the police and her family. She'd cause unwanted worry.

However, it was a chance she was willing to take. If she was really meant to be Storyteller, she might as well know everything about it. That was only going to come from going with the Easter Bunny.

"Alright, so how do we get there?" she asked with a confident smile. Sandy grinned and clapped his hands excitedly. The six-foot creature grinned. His eyes dazzled. _Thump-thump._

"Burrowing, dearie."


	9. Eight: Life-Changing Event

_**Sorry, if this is quite long. I got carried away a little. But nonetheless, I'd like you guys to know that I almost cried while writing this. I had to stop myself and eat some ice cream. :'D And... a review got me thinking of JackxRanon. I don't know. I'm just thinking about it. Just thought I could roll the idea by in the author's note. Maybe you lovelies can help me decide. :3**_

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Ranon was laughing heartily as she arrived at Tooth's palace. She had the utmost fun in the burrows, sliding around. She was in the middle, with Bunny behind her and Sandy in front. They climbed the tall palace until they reached Tooth Fairy. She was flying around, directing all the fairies. She gave coins to some and received teeth from others. She was still incredibly chirpy and bubbly as she did so.

"Ello, Tooth, this certainly beats the cold winter everywhere else!" Bunny exclaimed. Tooth stopped as her limbs straightened.

"Bunnymund! Sandy!" she exclaimed as she zoomed towards the two and embraced them into a hug. Three other fairies followed after her. They were like her ladies-in-waiting, prepared to do anything for her. "Rannie! It's so good to see you! Look at you, just – My goodness! Where on earth did you get that scar?"

The hummingbird fairy hovered close to Ranon's face, inspecting the scar that surrounded the bottom half of her face and a good majority of her neck. She traced the edge of it, outlining a vicious claw mark.

"I don't know what happened exactly. But the Boogeyman has something to do with it. I'm certain of it," the young woman said with a strong tone in her voice. She was sure of what she was saying.

"Pitch? Is he back?" she asked quickly, looking back at the others. The two shrugged at the same time, making the scene quite adorable. Tooth sighed and slightly rolled her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't know."

Ranon smiled crookedly, amused. Bunnymund had a straight face on as he looked at the flying fairy. He tried not to let both their reactions bother him. That's the thing about having more than one constant woman in his life, he's going to have to be always wrong to the both of them.

"Alright then! If you lovely ladies will drop that for now, I've got a bone to pick with ya, Tooth! How 'bout we head to the archives? Ranon wants to see something," he told her. Tooth crinkled her nose slightly and stuck out her tongue. She hasn't realized exactly what he said until a few seconds after. Her eyes widened and her fists kept close to her chest. "You mean you're going to let her see...?"

"Too right, dearie. I'm going to show her." He muttered. Tooth let out a giggle and nodded.

"Come with me! Oh goodness, to the old archives of Australia!" she exclaimed and began flying around one of the huge marble towers. Ranon blinked and began to following the exuberant fairy. Bunnymund and Sandy followed close behind. When Ranon couldn't follow her anymore, she waited at the highest point she could climb. Bunnymund stayed close to the main level of the palace. He didn't particularly like heights.

Tooth continued flying to the high parts of the tower. That was where the memories of the first few children belonged to. Fairy was quite old. Older than the mountains and younger than the wind. She was there when the Pookas first walked the earth and when Nicholas St. North created the first Christmas. Tooth grabbed a small tube-like container that held a child's teeth in it then flew down to Ranon's level.

"Come on, slowpoke! We gotta get you comfortable so you can see what's in here!" Tooth exclaimed. Ranon had a very unhappy expression on. She rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless. With a heavy sigh, she slowly began climbing down the huge tower. She wanted to curse and grumble but it was her fault. She thought she had to go up there with Tooth and stay up there. Apparently, it was not so.

Once she was done, she quickly moved towards the group of Guardians. Sandy sat down, holding feet. He looked like an adorable little being. Even though he _was _the oldest. Bunny sat down, letting his arms rest on his propped-up knees. Ranon decided to sit down cross-legged in between both of them. Tooth slid her long index finger along the flat surface of the tube. Instantly, Ranon was transported to a different time and place.

* * *

She was a small girl named Emily. She had two loving parents. Her mother's name was Ruth Aster and her father was called Edmund Aster. She was an only child, receiving full attention from both parents. Her father was a shepherd and tended all sorts of animals on their small Australian estate. He had just come back from the fields.

"Papa!" Emily cried joyously. She held up her hands high, begging to be picked up. The young man grinned and quickly picked her up, twirling her around in his arms. "Papa! Mama told me another story!"

"Story, eh? You gonna be dreaming big stories now because of your ma?" he asked with a chuckle. It was an all too familiar voice to the spectating people. The man had long blueish-black hair that was tied into a ponytail. He had bright green eyes and golden-kissed skin. He was tall and muscular, almost six-feet. He had tattoos up along his arms and across his chest.

"Not because of me. She'll make up stories of her own because of her dreams," a female called out. She sounded a lot more mature and older. Nonetheless, it was soft and childish, like a certain someone's. The person who came into Emily's line of vision was the spitting image of Ranon. However, she was much older. Maturity and age set in on the woman.

Emily smiled and nodded. "Papa, I thought of a wonderful story! It's about someone who learns to get over the fear of icky spiders!" Her pure laughter was soft. Edmund chuckled and brushed the small girl's cheek.

"Dream big, baby girl. The Sandman'd love to fill your pretty head with dreams."

Later that day, Emily and Ruth were playing dolls in the bedroom of the small girl. A knock echoed through the house. It was an unusual knock. It sent chills down Emily's spine. It made her scared. Ruth noticed and she instantly told the child to hide under the bed. It was a small space. There was only enough room for her.

Ruth disappeared as she went to go answer the door. Another voice could be heard. It was an unfamiliar voice to the girl. They were getting closer. Emily crawled as far away from the edge as she could, curling in on herself. Soon, the voices went into a heated argument.

"I told you for the umpteenth time, Pitch. I am _not _giving you any more stories," Ruth yelled, suddenly entering the bedroom. "There are other storytellers out there. Let them tell of your fears and darkness."

"None of them has your gift. Any story that spills from your lips always manages to come true," the man countered. His voice was soft but menacing.

"Other stories have come true. This gift I have is supposed to bring faith to the children. It gives them something to hold onto, to believe in. That's what I'm going to do, Pitch. There is nothing you can do to change my mind."

"You're going to let this power waste away? Imagine how easily you could bend the will of others with a simple word. Fear. It's true power. Goodness and faith. They're nothing compared to the sheer strength of fear."

"Stop it, Pitch! You talk of bending people's will. I could easily wipe you away and no children will ever believe in you. But that goes against my values. My faith. It's what makes me happy. It's what gives me a family."

"You will regret this day, Ruth Aster. You have given me no choice. If I am not to be given a story... then no one shall be given a story. I'll keep you in my fear cage. Forever."

"P-Pitch! Stop! Don't do this! I-I-I..." _Crack._

Emily covered her mouth instantly to try and not gasp. That crack was so familiar to her. It was the sound the sheep's neck made when a wolf attacked it. She was shepherding with her father that horrible day. She didn't want to accept that her mother's body had made the same noise. She quickly crawled towards the edge of the bed. Suddenly, Ruth's body collapsed to the floor.

Her brown eyes stared lifelessly at the young girl. She tried to stop herself from crying. However, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. On her face, she had the same fear wounds that Ranon had. They were exactly in the same shape: a ferocious looking claw mark covered her mouth and neck.

The man stayed silent for a moment. "What have I done? This is not what I wanted..." He fell down to his knees as his head fell down to greet the floor. Emily saw it as her chance. She needed her Papa. Her mother... her mother was gone.

She came out of her hiding place as quietly as she could. Then she ran and ran until her feet hurt. Even then, she didn't stop running. She managed to make it to the sheep fields without stopping. Once she saw Edmund, she started to scream. Tears shamelessly stained her cheeks. They were red and puffy. Her arms clung onto her father as she sobbed her heart out. "M-Mama. Mama. S-She's... Mama."

Her cries were hiccups and stutters but even then, Edmund knew what happened. Death had taken his wife. His love. It had taken Ruth.

Carrying Emily in his arms, he trekked back to their home. He didn't know why. He already knew she died. Some people have to see things in order for their brain to completely understand the tragedy that has occurred. He set Emily down at the door and she dared not entered. She was scared of the place she learned to call home. The place she thought was safe and secure. And now, she was terrified of it.

Edmund staggered to the bedroom, his legs tired from the journey from the fields. He disappeared into the bedroom. But as soon as he was out of Emily's sight, he let out an agonizing wail. It induced more tears from Emily. It was such a pained howl, almost more animal than human.

Another cry could be heard. Emily looked away from the house, families from all over rushed towards her house. The girl blinked away any tears that threatened to escape and wiped at the ones that did. "Emily! Emily, my sweetheart! You live! My goodness, you're alive!" her aunt yelled. Ranon's sister, who was slightly older than Ruth. She embraced the small child. "Where is my sister? Where is your mother?"

At the mention of Ruth, Emily sobbed some more. Her recently dried cheeks were wetting once again. The aunt could easily interpret what that meant. She saw the young man, the man she disdainfully learned to call brother. "It took my son, as well. Ruth's nephew. He was just 16. He was a storyteller..."

Edmund wiped gingerly at his eyes. His face was stone-set. Emily knew that look. It was the look he got when he had to do something he didn't like to do. The young girl assumed he had to look strong, though he was weak. "We have to warn the other storytellers. Whatever this is, I think it's targeting them."

Edmund, Emily and Ruth's sister managed to save two storytellers. Two out of twelve. They didn't know what was hunting the storytellers. They didn't know if it just happened to be a coincidence. The three families managed to flee from any civilization. How? They travelled underground. Why? The storytellers said to 'follow the white rabbit'. Edmund trusted the two, which both happened to be male, because Ruth has said many times the exact same expression.

A white rabbit led them to an oasis underground. It was in rough shape. But it was liveable. There was food, water and shelter. They slowly began to make a society of their own. The storytellers refused to tell any more stories, for fear that whatever hunted them will find them. And thus, the human storytellers died away. Any with the gift in the blood were no longer human after that.

'Follow the white rabbit'. The two storytellers knew they were to create a whole new species. They named themselves Pooka; large warrior rabbits. They were given the gift of unusually long life. The original families branched out and soon the oasis became known as the Warren. The Pooka population lived happily there. Emily grew up to be somewhat happy. She thought of her mother often but the memory soon died away. Emily was no longer a child.

* * *

Ranon stared straight ahead. Her eyes were brimmed with tears but none fell. Her eyes were glazed over. She was in her own world, thinking of what she just saw. Her anxious mind was racing. She couldn't think proper thoughts. Bunnymund looked toward the young woman. He sighed heavily.

"That is the origin of Storyteller. That is the reason why you feel so comfortable with me. That is the reason why you love the name 'Emily'. That is why I'm an abnormally large rabbit. That is why she... That is why you're a Guardian."

Sandy looked at Ranon. He looked a little lost because he didn't know what to do. Eventually, he went to her and hugged her. His small arms barely managed to wrap around her torso. Tooth Fairy rubbed Bunny's back, comforting him. It must've been very painful for him to relive such a life-changing event.

"Rannie... I know you may not think so, but you were meant to be Storyteller, the bringer of faith," Tooth murmured softly.

"I do. I do now. Storyteller's a part of me, right? Might as well start bringing faith now. It's time to go back, Easter Bunny. I got a whole lot of explaining to do at home, at school, at work. It's just until after Christmas, though, right?"

"Until you turn 18, dearie." Bunnymund said and smiled at Ranon. He was glad to be slowly getting Story back.

"Oh, I can't wait! Be careful! Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Tooth exclaimed as the three left. Sandy soon departed the duo in order to do his nightly duties. Bunnymund was to take Ranon back to the hospital. It was going to be fun to figure out the explanation.


	10. Nine: The Hot Chocolate Story

Ruka's lips were in a tight line. She was the only one who really understood the consequences of the scar Ranon had. She was never going to fit in. She was always going to stand out, some may even call her a freak. After all, the scar wasn't exactly easy to get used to. It always looked as if some horrible thing always had a hold of her. The othesr were awed that she had recovered.

"Rannie, Christmas is in a week and a half!" Rin exclaimed happily. The young woman's eyes widened.

"Oh my goodness! This incident has completely messed up my schedule! How am I supposed to get the money for your presents? That means I have to take the last week of school off and work. That's the only way I'll get my paycheck in time! Even then, I'd have to be part of the Christmas rush days!" Ranon began to ramble, becoming her normal, multitasking self. Rin giggled and Ryan grinned, toothless.

"Mommy thought we'd have Christmas without you. I'm glad you're here with us, though, Rannie!" Ryan said. His tone clearly voiced that he was beyond happy. He seemed so grateful. The girl smiled softly and hugged the 9-year-old tightly.

It took a few hours to get the paperwork dealt with so Ranon can be discharged from the hospital. The doctor could only say that they were burn scars. There must've been some gas pocket that Ranon slept in which caused her skin to burn. At least, that's what they could come up with.

When Ranon was finally home, she could barely get a moment's rest. The children all wanted to play with her. Her mom never left her alone, afraid something might happen to her again. Despite what Ruby and Ruka said, Ranon resumed her normal cleaning and cooking chores. She made supper because it was her day to, she did laundry and kept everything in order. It was as if she just didn't spend a week in a hellhole. The young woman did her best to block that out of her memory.

After working it out with all her teachers, Ranon managed to get the last week of school off so she could work on getting the money for her presents. It's not that she had any doubt about North giving the children presents. She just wanted to share in some of the magic that was giving.

"Miss Patricks, what happened to your face? It looks funny!" one of the boys at the daycare asked. Suzy, who adored Ranon, only scowled.

"That's a very mean thing to say, Riley. Maybe she got into an accident!" she defended the woman. Ranon only chuckled and bent down to Riley's eye level.

"I got into an accident. I ended up being burned by fear itself. He tried to keep me locked up so I couldn't tell stories anymore," Ranon began, only to be interrupted by the multitude of students finding her words interesting.

"No! I like your stories!"

"Fear is a boy? Does he look like a snake?"

"Will I get burned by fear, Miss Patricks?"

"How did you get out?"

"Alright, alright. Now, children, how about a different story? Fear doesn't deserve stories. He grows stronger the more stories you tell about him," she explained, pointing her index finger to each student. Her smile was wide as she stood up straight and ushered all the children to the circular carpet that surrounded a rocking chair. "What kind of story would you like to hear about?"

"I want one with sword fights!"

"Mermaids!"

"No, no, no! I want one about magic!"

A cheer of agreements came from the other students. "Magic, huh? What if I told you story about a special kind of magic? Magic you see everyday."

"Everyday? Does it glitter?"

"Can you see it? Hear it?"

"Does it grant you wishes, Miss Patricks?"

Her laughter sounded a little mature and older than it usually was. The woman blinked and stopped herself so she could start a story. "Let me start, children. Do any of you know Jack Frost? Well... let me tell you a story about him..."

* * *

Everyone has had a snow day. Everyone also forgot why snow days are so special. Jack Frost always reminds us that too much of something is no good by giving us a snow day during a school day. He reminds us that there's so much to do during winter. Like building a snow fort, having snowball fights, sliding down hills and making snow angels. However, he reminds a few of us what rewards there are in missing out on the fun.

_'Missing out on the fun, Miss Patricks? What do you mean?'_

Well, let me explain, Sophie. I grew up with a big family. I have 9 brothers and sisters. On most snow days, they go outside and play. They make sure to bundle up so they're nice and cozy. Then they play for hours and hours. I barely see them inside. But me, I can't go outside. I have work to do inside the house. I have to clean and cook and make something very special.

That very special thing is called 'Jack's favourite drink'. It's homemade hot chocolate. But what makes it special is that I only seem to remember the recipe on snow days. There has been no other day when I remember the ingredients to the special hot chocolate.

_'Have you tried writing it down?'_

Yes, I have. But as soon as I grab a pen and paper, I forget. Just like that. That's how I know Jack is having fun with the kids outside. He's making sure that they get extra cold out there so that when they come inside, the homemade hot chocolate is waiting for them, warm and toasty.

Well, on that one day, I was making the hot chocolate. I was stirring it so everything would mix just right. And then a knock came on my door. I thought it was one of my siblings, trying to pull a prank on me. Even then, I still opened the door. There was no one out there. Now who do you think would visit me on a snow day?

_'Was it Jack Frost?' _

I am pretty sure it was. Because I felt a chilly wind blow right through me. It went inside and do you know what that wind did? It put whipped cream on the hot chocolate! I had the bowl of whipped cream beside all the cups. The whipped cream was out of the bowl and on the hot chocolate.

At first, I thought it was me being crazy. However, I began shaping the whipped cream. I made them look like swirly mountains. I also put some cinnamon on top, sprinkling them into pretty designs. All the cups of hot chocolate was unique. None of them could be copied. I actually had a lot of fun decorating the hot chocolate.

Once all the children came inside, they thanked me and hugged me for putting whipped cream on top. They loved it. And then they told me stories of what they did out there. The way they told their own stories, it made everything seem magical. There are 10 little glass squares that make up my window in the kitchen. And on each square, with each story, it was as if it was being drawn in frost.

_'Jack Frost was helping tell the stories?'_

Yes, he was. He was showing me in pictures of what they did. And on my square, when it was my turn to tell the story, all I could say was, 'Jack Frost helped me make the hot chocolate. He put the whipped cream on top.' Then, on my little square, a cup of hot chocolate was drawn. I found out that day that I could have fun in anything I do, as long as I have someone to help me and I believe.

I thought that Jack Frost only helped people have fun when they were outside. But if any of you have to do chores on your snow day, he'd help you have fun doing that. Even when it seems like you're missing out on 'fun', you're really not. As long as Jack Frost is around, everything will be fun and mischief.

Riley, how many times have I told you, not to put the stuffed animals in your mouth?!

* * *

Ranon quickly grabbed the stuffed hippopotamus. "Your germs could get all over that and someone else will be touching your mouth germs," she explained. Riley frowned and crossed his arms.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked gingerly.

"Do you want me to put my hand in your mouth?"

"...No..."

"Then don't make people touch your mouth germs! It's almost the same thing as someone having their hands in your mouth," she said. All the other children giggled softly on how Miss Patricks had ended the story. It was both an unusual and a predictable ending. Riley was always doing things against the daycare rules. Sometimes the stories didn't even have a proper ending because of him. Riley was a little troublemaker that suddenly reminded Ranon of a certain someone.

"After Storytime... what time is it?" the woman said as she clapped her hands, gaining all the children's attention.

"Recess!"

"Now, listen to the supervisors! They'll make sure you'll be safe!" she called out as the kids rushed out to the cubby room. They began to put on their snowsuits, hats and mitts. Once the last of the students was outside, Ranon began to tidy up. There was a large, glass slide door that overlooked the playground.

Ranon stopped tidying for a bit to watch the children play. All sorts of games were being held at the playground. It made her smile, seeing the children. Suddenly, the door frosted up. It made it impossible to see through. However, words were being written from the outside. 'Liked the story. So you did like my whipped cream touch to the drinks. And yes, the hot cocoa is my favourite.'

She couldn't help but to roll her eyes at the words. They belonged to only one person. Or immortal spirit, to be more accurate. Her index finger touched the glass. It was a unique feeling. The ice melted under her body warmth but she still managed to feel the coldness of the ice and winter cold. She began writing backwards. 'You still suck, Jack. :)'

* * *

_**Boring? Eh, maybe a little. But hey, I wanted fluff. It just so happened that the fluff managed to be between Jack and Ranon. Which I find both odd and cute and odd. More odd than anything. Welp, until next time, lovelies. *hearts everywhere***_


	11. Ten: Male Brown Bear

_**I thought it unusual for me not to leave an author's note. But uh, here's a chapter about Ranon's father! Dun dun dun. Now, to go put my baby sister to sleep.~**_

* * *

Only a week left until Christmas. It's been a good three days of working and trying to shop. She knew what everyone had wanted but even with working all the time, she still managed to be a little tight with the money. However, that didn't dampen her spirits about the holidays. Her mother was on the last night shift before she was off work until Boxing Day. It was going to be that much easier this Christmas. There were going to be a lot more experienced 'professionals' dealing with the children.

Ranon was smiling to herself in her sleep. Sandy was paying special attention to give her sweet dreams. She was curled up in a small ball on one side of the couch. She wore an over-sized hoodie and pink plaid pyjama pants. With a soft murmur, she stirred and managed to turn herself around.

What was she dreaming about? There was Bunnymund, watching over sheep in the fields. He was still a large rabbit. But he looked so happy and at peace. Ranon was feeding a sheep, its soft fur was both foreign and familiar to her. Suddenly, a smaller rabbit, but still unnaturally large, hugged Ranon. The young woman didn't know who or what it was but her dream self seemed to know. "Emily, my sweetheart!" she exclaimed and hugged the rabbit back. It was almost the spitting image of Bunnymund. The only difference was that instead of green eyes, there was brown. Ranon's brown eyes. It was the first two Pookas. It was Ruth's husband and daughter. The Easter Bunny and Emily.

"Emily! Emily! Emily. Where's my Emily?!"

Where she expected the Easter Bunny's voice, she heard someone else's. She heard a voice that made her instantly on guard. Her eyes suddenly opened as she stood straight up. "Emily! Emily!"

Ranon gulped. It was her father. Judging from the all-too familiar slur, he was drunk. And looking for his latest accident and blessing. No one else seemed to be up. That is until a flurry of steps came up the stairs and Ruka arose. "Is he here?" Ranon only nodded.

The 17-year-old hesitantly went to the door. She didn't want to open it. With every fibre of her being, she didn't want to. But she knew it was the only way for him to quiet down. He'd wake up the others if he didn't stop yelling. "Dad, please go home. You're drunk."

"Where's your mother? Leaving you here all by yourself! She's a horrible mother!" the man yelled as he let himself him. He probably didn't realize that he practically shoved Ranon out of the way. She tightened her knuckles and took a big breath before she followed her father into the kitchen.

"Dad, you know you're not allowed here when you're drinking."

"I'm allowed to come here as long as you have my kids!" he bellowed, taking a swig out of the beer bottle he had in his gloved hands. Ranon's face grew a bright red.

"You know you are not allowed to have alcohol in this house. There are 10 children here whom you have forgotten because of beer," the young woman snapped. Ruka bit her lip and instantly held her hand. She intertwined their fingers together. Ranon was close to crying and Ruka knew it. She hated to even look at a beer bottle.

"I'm here now, aren't I? You can't say I have forgotten you," he said with an ever-growing slur. "I've paid child support before."

"That was once!" Ruka growled. "And it wasn't even enough to buy a whole meal for everyone."

"You are not seeing anyone else here today. Come back sober, Dad. You are not welcome here when you are drunk," Ranon said without being angry. It was taking a lot of effort for her not to break down, scream, kick and cry at her father.

"No. I am allowed to see my kids when I want in whatever state I want. I want to see Emily," he bellowed. Ranon scoffed.

"Did you know that female brown bears refuse to let their mates see the bear cubs until they're full grown? It was a rule that applied to _all _the male bears. However, one papa bear thought that he could see his children. It was his divine and ultimate right, in his own opinion. But there's a reason why male bears don't see bear cubs. It's because all male bears end up eating cubs, whether they like to or not. So, this male bear went to his cubs and he couldn't help his natural instincts. He ended up eating the ones that couldn't protect themselves. The older ones grew enraged and sought revenge on the bear. The olde cubs managed to corner their father and without hesitation, push him off a huge cliff. And that is why female bears don't let their cubs see their fathers. Don't you think we could learn from creatures that are supposedly lower in the intelligence chain than we are?" Ranon said, enveloping a story and a warning to her father.

"Are you suggesting that I'd eat my own kids?" he asked, visibly intimidating.

"You take things so literally, Dad. Maybe you really should go home and think about it," Ranon said with a half-smile. Their father frowned and said nothing for a very long time.

Eventually, he lugged his huge winter boots back into the jacket room. But not before looking back at the two eldest Patricks girls then throwing his beer bottle onto the floor. Dark brown glass pieces decorated the floor, along with some liquid. Both girls jumped and looked away as he slammed the door. Suddenly, Ranon heard a few footsteps coming out of the nursery.

"Rannie? Who was that?" Rin asked as she rubbed at her eyes. The eldest girl looked onto Ruka, who only nodded in response. Ruka led Rin back to her bedroom, murmuring comforting things about Sandman and Santa Claus.

It was a hard mess to clean up. However, Ranon managed to get away from all that glass with no cuts. She cleaned up all the beer and used as much air freshener as she could. It still managed to smell vaguely of beer. With a soft, stressed sigh, she made her way back into the living room. Ruka was sitting there, idly watching T.V. When she saw her sister, Ruka sighed.

"Rin's asleep. None of the others woke up," she stated, as if it were some kind of report. Ranon knew that Ruka shouldn't be experiencing any of this. The way she curled up on the couch, her knees close to her chest, it made her look so vulnerable.

"Don't worry, boo. Neither of us got hurt. It actually went a lot better than I thought it would," Ranon murmured. "Get some rest. You'll need it. I heard you have a test in Math."

With an annoyed sigh, the 16-year-old nodded. Her long, thick black hair was wrapped into a messy bun as she walked slowly down the stairs. It took one glance from Ruka for her to communicate that she wanted Ranon in bed soon, too.

It took the washing of the rest of the dishes, 16 paces from the living room to the jacket room, 2 bedtime snacks and an 8-minute infomercial about some shaving device for her to be calm enough to go to bed. Her mind was racing about all the things that could've done. After all, her dad has done worse. On her 15th birthday, her drunk father approached her with a bleeding nose and a shirt after her mother punched his nose. She was deathly scared and scarred. Rosie May's 1st birthday had left her with a badly bruised cheek because her father pushed her into a door when he was trying to get to the small baby. Her mother was beaten so badly, she had to go to the emergency room when Ranon was just 15 months old. Ruka had just been born. It was the earliest memory the young woman had.

She quickly did her bedtime routine. Looking at her huge collection of teddy bears, she wondered who to sleep with this time. A ring of golden sand circled around a certain teddy bear. It was the one from Santa's workshop. She grabbed it and held it close to her chest. "Thanks, Sandy," she whispered.

Ranon cuddled into her warm blanket and held her teddy bear close. She had even decided a name for it. Edmund. With that thought in mind, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.


	12. Eleven: A Babysitter

_**Hello, my munchkins! LOL JK That's what I call my brothers and sisters! :b So, lovelies, I just want to cry out of joy from all the love that this story is getting. I honestly could cry. I honestly almost did. ._." Nonetheless, I love you all and hope you enjoy! *hearts everywhere***_

* * *

Since her hands were full, Ranon practically kicked the door down. She had 10 wrapped presents in her hand. One for each of her siblings and one for her mother. She had just battled against the monster called Christmas rush. She managed to kick off her boots. One sock stayed in her boot. She started walking into the kitchen. However, the triplets forgot to put their boots away. The melted snow from the bottom of their boots created a huge messy puddle. Ranon managed to step in the puddle with both her bare foot and her foot with the sock on it.

Wet footprints made a trail all the way down the stairs to her room. She successfully hid all her presents in the closet. She sighed contently then collapsed onto her bed. She was ready for a nap when suddenly...

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"Ugh, for the love of the Easter Bunny! Can't I get a moment's rest?" Ranon yelled. Clearly, the stress of the rollercoaster of life was getting to her. And not in a good way. She fumbled for the phone cradle that was on her nightstand. When it wouldn't stop ringing, her searching grew more frantic.

Finally, her lazy hands grabbed the phone. With a push of a button, she raised it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Ranon! Oh, thank goodness, you're home! I just came back from the mall and they didn't have the toy I want for Jamie. Can you babysit the two after school while I go and search around the other stores? It'd mean so much to me," Mrs. Bennett exclaimed in a panicked tone. Ranon went from being really annoyed to sympathetic in a heartbeat.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Bennett. I'll come over right away," she said with a soft smile. It took forever for the woman to stop saying her thank yous and actually hang up. She looked at her feet, both wet. Wet socks were incredibly annoying and sticky and gross-feeling and... ick. So Ranon found a new pair of socks then went upstairs.

"Hey!"

"Where are you going?"

"Can we come?"

Ranon stopped at the doorway between the kitchen and the jacket room. She turned around to see Ray, Tay and Jay, all with different-coloured band-aids on their right shoulder. They had their flu shot, thus they left school earlier than the other children. "I'm going to go babysit Jamie and Sophie," she said with a smile. Raylor grinned.

"He's my friend, y'know! His favourite person is Jack Frost!" he yelled out.

"My favourite is Sandman. He's got the same name as the bad guy in Spider-Man!"

"That's no reason, Jay! Sandman is good. Not bad!"

Suddenly, the three began to squabble about all sorts of different things. Ranon rolled her eyes. Triplets. They get along so well but they also just... don't. Eventually, they began to talk about things entirely unrelated to Jamie Bennett. Ranon tapped her foot, counting how long it'd take for them to get back on topic. Soon, Tay tilted her head curiously and stopped talking about the new topic at hand. "Aren't you supposed to be at Jamie's?" she asked. Ranon grinned and nodded.

"Finally! Yes, I am. Now, I don't know how long I'll be gone. When Ruka comes home, you have to tell her to pick up the babies at 4 from the daycare. Can you guys remember that?" Ranon said with a soft smile. They all looked at each other, as if communicating telepathically. Then they all nodded.

"Babies!"

"At 4 o'clock!"

"From the daycare!"

The young woman gave a thumbs-up as she got ready to leave. She trusted the triplets could take care of themselves for 10 minutes at the most. After all, schools should be ringing their home-time bells. She walked towards the Bennett house, seeing all sorts of kids along the way. Most of them said 'hello' to Ranon, seeing as how she's met most of the kids in town in some way shape or form.

"Miss Patricks! Miss Patricks!" Sophie exclaimed just as Ranon went up the steps of the Bennett house. "You're here! You're here!"

Ranon laughed as she picked up the small girl. It was a bit awkward, seeing as how her fairy wings were in the way of her arms. Since the Easter of that year, Sophie had gotten a haircut. She had straight bangs that matched with the patch of hair that she cut herself. The rest of her hair was straight and reached down her back. "Hey there, Sophie! Guess who gets to be your babysitter after school?"

"Oh, great, a babysitter," Jamie grumbled. He made an unhappy face at Ranon and Sophie then stomped his way up the stairs. Ranon waited until he was inside to make the same face at him.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she grumbled. Sophie giggled.

"Come and play with me!" the tyke squealed happily. The two walked inside and instantly began playing all sorts of things. However, Jamie avoided Ranon at all costs.

Despite understanding him, she absolutely disliked the fact that the boy was avoiding her. Most kids at least took the chance to talk to her. The only thing she heard out of him was his rude remark. Even throughout supper, he remained silent. Ranon crinkled her nose as she was putting Sophie to bed.

"Sweetheart, what's your brother like?" she asked the small blonde girl.

"Jamie's a big boy, Miss Patricks. I am not allowed to play with his friends until I'm in the same grade as him," Sophie recited, as if she was reading a book. Ranon raised an eyebrow. How typical of an older brother.

"Alright, Sophie. Good night, sweetheart," she said as she kissed the girl's forehead. She yawned and nodded, turning away from the teenager. She cuddled her newly found stuffed bunny, courtesy of Ranon's unopened bag. She closed the door but made sure to leave a nightlight on, just like she was taught to by her mother.

Ranon was suddenly rendered unnecessary. She put the only child who needed such comfort to sleep. With a bite of her lip, she walked down the stairs and started looking around for something to do. The house was already tidy, the supper mess already cleaned, and the children were asleep. Or so she thought.

She almost let out a scream when she saw Jamie changing the channel on the T.V. "J-Jamie! I thought you already went to bed," she said, a little out of breath.

"Mom lets me stay up another half hour so I can do homework. But there was no homework today so I'm watching T.V," he said with practically no emotion. Ranon made a face that expressed an exasperated 'okay, whatever' emotion. It was passive, annoyed and slightly confused.

"Well, okay. Just let me know when you want a bedtime story," sh said as she went to her bag. Jamie finally took a good look at Ranon.

"You make it sound like I'm a kid."

"You are, aren't you? I mean, I didn't stop being a kid until I was 13 years old," she replied. She had a playful smile.

"You were read bedtime stories until you were 13?" Jamie asked with an incredulous tone in his voice. Ranon laughed.

"Bedtime stories have been a part of bedtime since I could remember. But now, instead of being read one... I'm reading them to my brothers and sisters. The majority of them are still kids," she said with a smile. "Maybe you'll like my bedtime stories."

"Well, alright As long as it's not a Christmas story! Sophie's been read those every night for the last three weeks," Jamie said as he did an adorable eye roll.

"Jamie, what do you know about the Guardians?" she asked with a small chuckle. Jamie instantly brightened. Maybe she's a different species of babysitter.


	13. Twelve: Bedtime Story

"So the Easter Bunny is really huge, right? And he's got tattoos up and down his arm. And, and, and, and he's got these two boomerangs and exploding eggs-"

"Jamie, Jamie. Calm down. You're supposed to be getting ready for bed," Ranon said with a chuckle.

"Aww, c'mon!" Jamie whined. "Just one more story?"

"One more story? From me or from you?" she asked with a huge grin. Jamie pursed his lips a little then smiled. He sat down cross-legged on his bed while his greyhound sat beside him. She laid her head down on Jamie's lap.

"From you!" he chirped as he looked eagerly at the storybook Ranon had. It was in the bag she brought over to the house. She never left the house without it and a stuffed animal from her collection. That's how Sophie managed to steal her stuffed rabbit.

Ranon smiled softly and she opened the book. She, at first, didn't know which story to read to Jamie. She decided to read her latest addition. 'The Trip to Santa's Workshop'.

After reading the story, and of course, some name-changing, Jamie was tired enough to completely lay in his bed. He yawned and stretched. Ranon chuckled, completely satisfied with her own work. That and the timing worked perfectly in her favour. With a smack of his lips, the young boy looked up at Ranon.

"Have you been in Santa's Workshop?" he asked tiredly. The teenager pursed her lips lightly.

"Of course I've been in Santa's Workshop. How do you think I came up with a story? I'm actually quite close to Santa Claus himself," she asked with a playful tone.

"Oh really? Well, can you tell Santa I want something new for Christmas? I want something like your storybook, that has fairy tales and normal stories. Just so many stories," Jamie muttered, getting tired the more he spoke. Ranon smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.  
"I'll pass the message on to the big guy, don't worry, Jamie," she told him with a reassuring tone. With a small yawn, he settled down into his blankets. Jamie rubbed his eyes.

"You're different than the other babysitters. You actually play with us and cook us our favourite suppers. You put us to bed almost like our mom does," Jamie said with a yawn.

Ranon grinned and closed the book. She turned off the lamp that was beside the bed. "I've had my fair share of bad babysitters before. I just don't want to be someone kids don't like," she explained.

"Goodnight, Miss Patricks," he said as he closed his eyes. Soon, his breathing became regular. He didn't snore but he had heavy breathing. Jamie was asleep.

She went back down to the living room, storybook in hand. Ranon put the book in her bag and sat down on the couch. She honestly had no idea when Mrs. Bennett was supposed to be home. It was getting late and she didn't want to walk home alone. Maybe Mrs. Bennett could drive her home. Suddenly, she could hear someone bump into something. Her eyes shot up, scanning the room. There was nothing. She was expecting to see Sophie or even, Jamie. But instead, she saw a familiar staff in the middle of the floor.

"Jack, what on earth are you doing here?" Ranon asked with a soft growl.

"Well, normally when Mrs. Bennett isn't here, Jamie's awake at this hour. But his new babysitter decided to tell him a bedtime story," the winter spirit said. He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway of the living room.

"Stories are meant for kids, y'know. Besides, what do you do with Jamie at this hour anyway?" she asked, still refusing to look at him. Even after all this time.

"Sometimes, we go sledding. Other times, we'll have snowball fights. Build a snow man. It depends, really," Jack said as he nonchalantly checked his nails. Ranon rolled her eyes.

"Remind me never to let my kids near you. Taking them out of their homes in the dead of night. Bah!" she grumbled. Jack grinned sheepishly. He stood up straight and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, it's fun, right?" he asked softly.

"No. It's dangerous. Someone could be hurt. And the adults can't see you so they'd assume that it was the child's own fault," Ranon said, slightly smug. She had a way of ruining fun by proving points.

Jack walked towards the couch and ended up sitting beside her. "You know, for a Guardian that's supposed to have faith as her centre... you don't trust in a lot of things," he said, trying to sound light and casual. The young woman only sighed and looked away.

"It's not that I don't have faith in the others. I'm just so... worried that something might happen to them. I know they can do it safely and I trust them. But it's hard for me to let things go," she muttered, never directing her words directly at him. Jack was certainly going to have to get used to her never looking at him.

"You know what you need? Some fun time. And without Bunnymund. You're too attached to the guy," he said with a pompous tone in his voice.

"Take that back, Jack Frost! The Easter Bunny is a good guy. He's strong and good with kids. And he's definitely got some sense in him! But I am not _attached _to him," she burst out defensively. It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Rannie."

"Who gave you permission to use that nickname? Honestly, are nicknames just being thrown out to every sucker who hears it?" she said, putting her hands up in the air.

"Hey, now. When you're 18, you're going to have to spend eternity being a Guardian with me. Might as well get used to me calling you Rannie... Rannie."

_Smack!_

"Ow. Rannie, that was a little uncalled for."

"No. No, no, no, no. Stop calling me that. Rannie is for family and friends. You're neither," she said as she stuck her tongue out. Jack chuckled.

"Ouch. That hurts deep down, you know. So what am I to you?" he asked as he stretched slightly, leaving his staff on his lap. He laid his arms out on the couch, looking at her with an amused face.

"You are a nuisance. Like frostbite on my hands. By the way, thanks for giving me that," she retorted rather rudely. She showed her knuckles, which were scabbed and dry. It was old frostbite from the month before she had formidable mitts.

"It's not my fault you didn't wear gloves. That was your own doing," Jack said as he motioned to her hands. Ranon made an ugly face towards him, only to be mirrored back by the frost spirit. She kept on changing her facial expressions, none of which looked attractive. Jack did all the same faces to the best of his abilities. Though, some were harder on him because he didn't have as wide eyes as her.

Jangling of keys could be heard as the door was unlocked from the outside. Ranon looked up from the couch then at her bag of things. She got up and made sure everything was in there. Everything, except of course, her stuffed rabbit. Jack followed her and flicked her cheek, making it jiggle slightly.

"Don't do that," Ranon hissed as she batted his hand away. They were cool to the touch. But she couldn't expect anything warmer from a spirit of the cold.

Even though she told him to stop, he continued flicking her cheek. A soft sting began to grow as he continued to bug and annoy her. "Ugh, can you get anymore annoying? You're like a preppy senior who giggles at way too high pitch."

"Ranon, who are you talking to? Are the children asleep?" Mrs. Bennett asked as she opened the door. She had loads of bags in her hands. It looked wondrous that she held them all. Ranon's eyes widened but suddenly glared at Jack Frost. He chuckled, a little timid from the sudden intrusion of the adult.

* * *

_**I have discovered something amazing! *^* Jack and Ranon could be like those idiotic brother and sister relationships, in which both annoy and love the heck outta each other. That way, I can satisfy both my Bunnymund and Jack feels. Oh, I like. eue**_


	14. Thirteen: A Walk Home

_**Here's a little more brother-sister-ness before I go and start a new RotG fanfic. A Guardian of Courage. Oh ho! And also... he's mentioned in here. Ta-da! And yeah, he's a boy! :'D Anyways, enjoy, my lovelies~**_

* * *

Jack was hollering as he rode the wind around town. There were no kids around, seeing as how it was really late. And the adults couldn't see Jack Frost. So it seemed like Ranon was laughing by herself at the sky. The winter spirit was riding his staff along the wind, doing flips and spins like there was no tomorrow. She continued on her way home.

Normally, she'd be anxious and wary. But knowing that Jack Frost was nearby gave her some comfort. It wasn't a long walk and she'd be home in time to put her own siblings to bed. That is, if Jack Frost didn't suggest they take the forest path. That led to a small pond then up a stony ridge, where the fence to Ranon's backyard was. That was the part that made her wary.

"Jack, should we really have gone this way?" she asked, sounding unlike herself. Well, in Jack's opinion, she didn't sound like herself. She sounded... like a kid. She was walking along the edge of the small pond, afraid to go onto the ice. It's not that Ranon was afraid she'd slip. She was afraid her weight would break the ice.

"It'll be fine. You have to trust me on this one, Rannie." Jack was on the closest tree branch to her, twirling his staff around. He was clearly amused by the teenager's uncertainty. She bit her lip.

"If I fall in and get pneumonia, I'm blaming you. Whether people believe me or not," she exclaimed as she hesitantly stepped out onto the pond. Step by step, she ventured further. There were a few instances she heard the ominous cracking of the ice, but Jack patched them up with his staff. He was helping her.

"Let's give this a try. I'll ask a question and you answer. It'll take your mind off the ice," Jack suggested, flying in front of her. She scowled at him.

"You really think my mind will get taken off the ice?" she asked. A threat was poorly buried because of her aggravated tone. She really wasn't liking this at all.

"I'm sure it will. Okay, so first question, what's your favourite hobby?" he asked with an innocent-looking eyebrow. Ranon raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. When she saw that he was serious, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"My hobby is dancing. I love to dance. Although we could never afford any real training, I still managed to become the choreographer of my dance team," she explained. She was going to say more but she stepped on a patch of extremely slippery ice. She lost her balance. Jack helped her stay upright by putting his staff on her back and exerting force on it until she was on her own two feet again.

"Huh. I never would've guessed. I thought it'd be something boring like cooking or knitting or candle-making," Jack said once she caught her balance. Ranon could only glare at the silver-haired boy as she continued her way across the pond. "Onto the next question! Do you like going to Christmas parties?"

Ranon couldn't help but to wonder why he was asking those questions. Hobbies? Christmas parties? Nonetheless, she answered, "They're fun. As long as there's no serious drinking and that it's kid friendly, I'm all for Christmas parties."

The two reached the end of the pond. Next obstacle was the tall, stony hill that Ranon would have to walk/climb. She pursed her lips and immediately began, cursing the fact that she said 'yes' to Jack Frost.

"Alright. See? We made it alive. Just a bit more to go and you'd be home." Jack was flying on eye level with Ranon, looking as if he was laying on some sort of lounging chair. "To the next question! What do you want for Christmas?"

"Jack Frost, why are you asking these questions?" she asked as she stopped walking. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip, looking sternly at the boy. She looked bemused and irritated at the same time. Jack smiled nervously, a small chuckle escaping his throat.

"Is it weird nowadays to try and get to know someone? I mean, these questions totally fit in with the time and season. I don't see anything wrong with these questions," he said, sounding a little too defensive. However, Ranon overlooked that. Even though she was curious about his ulterior motives, she might've maybe liked talking to him in a casual and friendly way.

"Good point. For Christmas this year... I want the latest Christmas Doug Dinosaur stuffed animal. He's so adorable in the commercials! I also want a Monster High doll so I could play with Rin without 'stealing' her dolls. I also saw that there were new Cabbage Patch kids out this season! I want one of those!" she exclaimed, sounding more like a 7-year-old than a 17-year-old. Jack laughed.

"And here I thought you'd say you want a new cell phone. Or a laptop. Or a new video game. You know, teenager stuff," he laughed. He stopped flying and was walking right along with her. Ranon made another annoyed, ugly face. Jack figured those were the type of faces she makes when she's too bugged to make a comeback. "Okay, here's the next question. It's different from the others. A little more personal. Ready, Rannie?"

Ranon rolled her eyes and grinned. The two made it to the top, though Ranon's energy was depleting. She hated the forest trail and never used it willingly. It made sense for her to be tired from that trek. Not caring about the snow on her sweatpants, she sat down. "Bring it."

"North has a nasty habit of leaving things out. The other day he left out all your previous Christmas wishes. I couldn't help but notice that... for 8 years, you wished to be a boy. Why?" he asked as his staff stood upright. On top of the hook-like part, he sat.

She was caught completely off-guard. She was prepared to never speak of those wishes ever again. She was prepared to live her life out with that being her one and only secret. She trusted North not to tell anyone. And he kept his promise... for the most part.

She was hesitant, reluctant and suddenly _very _nervous. "W-When I was 5, I hung around my mom's cousins a lot. They were all boys. They were allowed to do things I wasn't because they were boys. I had to stay inside and watch the younger babies. I had to help my aunts clean and cook. I had to clean up after my cousins' playtime. My aunts made me try one poofy dress after another. They played with my hair and did my make-up. Ugh, I hated it.

"So, I found some scissors and cut all my hair off. It was short like the boys'. From then on, all I wanted to do was be a boy. And I was treated like one for a good part of my childhood. I was allowed to wear boy's clothes. I was allowed to have toy guns and swords. I was allowed to help my uncles bring in firewood and do other outside chores. But sometimes, my cousins wouldn't let me play with them. They said that even though I looked and acted like one, I was never going to be a boy."

Jack, during the story, jumped off his staff and sat beside Ranon. She refused to acknowledge that he was there. It was as if she was talking to the snow that she picked up. Her yellow mittens were slowly permitting cold to go through them. She wasn't thinking about that at the moment. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do. But something happened when you were 13, right? You'd still have short hair and act like a boy if something didn't."

"I was in middle school when I was 13. I was just being introduced to the concept of kissing and dating. I never had an interest, not even now-"

"Because of Bunnymund." _Smack!_

"Let me finish, sucker! Anyway, while all my friends wanted to have a boyfriend, I still wanted to skip around and pretend that I was something I'm not. I refused to have anything to do with being a girl. My hair was always kept short. I wore boys' clothes and I talked rudely. I was so unbelievably rude when I was younger.

"But then, this new kid came into town. His name was CJ Creare. He was like any other boy, he didn't really want anything to do with girls. He hung around with me and the other grade 8 boys. It was just the beginning of a new school year when he sat down beside me in class. Then he told me that I was pretty for a boy and that I'd be even prettier if I was a girl. It was the first and last sincere compliment I've ever gotten from a boy. He became my best friend quickly and he helped my aunts immerse me into the girly world. When he left because his dad got reassigned for work, he told me that he'd come back and I'd better be in a beautiful poofy dress. And, well, after that, I grew out my hair. Wore dresses occasionally. Let Ruka do my make-up. Let my mom play with my hair and nails. I became a girl."

"All that because of some boy. Wow, you girls are easily swayed," Jack said as he stood up. He saw the fence to Ranon's backyard halfway down the hill. It was long and steep. It takes about 10 minutes just to reach her fence. Ranon scoffed.

"You boys are easily swayed, too. The two species are just... swayed in different ways," she said with a smirk. "Bet you can't beat me to my house."

Jack laughed, "Oh ho. You're on, Rannie. Let's go!" The boy instantly flew into the air and started riding the wind down to Ranon's house. The girl looked around and saw a lone, pink flower amongst the snow. With a childish grin, she ran towards it.

As soon as he could see it, he hopped to the ground and ran towards Ranon's back door. He hastily went down the stairs to claim his prize. However, all his feelings of victory disappeared when he saw Ranon waiting patiently at the door. The blue-eyed spirit's face was clearly unamused. From the corner of his eye, he saw a lone pink flower at the corner of the doorway. He rolled his eyes.

"Bunny gave you the secret to his burrows?" he asked dryly. Ranon grinned.

"You bet. Now, I can go anywhere I want. And I can go anywhere I want, faster than you," she said with a huge victorious smirk. She was smug, proud and confident. Like any winner of a race. 'Wow, she's more like that overgrown rodent than I thought,' Jack thought. "Anyway, goodnight, sucker!"

"Tch. Whatever. Goodnight, Rannie," he said as the girl opened the back door. She made the same ugly face as before, though it was more playful than last time. He mirrored that exact, same face. The two both looked completely ridiculous. Finally, the door closed.

Jack smiled and walked up the stairs. Suddenly, he remembered why he was asking those questions. He got sidetracked by his own curiosity. He was supposed to tell her about the Christmas party she was invited to... at the North Pole. He groaned and started kicking snow around. Yes, he was getting mad at himself for forgetting such a thing.

He managed to calm himself down. Ah, he'll just invite her tomorrow. The next morning would be the 22nd. The party wasn't until 23rd. He had to make sure he couldn't forget next time. Or maybe, just get someone else to do it. But North told him specifically. Well, whatever. He'll tell her eventually. The wind picked Jack up and returned him to the pond he learned to call home. The pond that Ranon was cautiously walking on just a while before.


	15. Fourteen: I Just Forgot

"Why doesn't he have a party on Christmas Eve?" Ranon asked as she sipped some of her peppermint hot chocolate. "Isn't that when most parties are held?"

"Most parties don't involve immortal spirits. Most parties don't involve going to the North Pole and dancing with Santa Claus," Jack said, bemused. The girl rolled her eyes. She took another sip of her hot chocolate before sitting down on a bench.

She was taking a walk with Jack Frost, the only Guardian who didn't have regular duties to attend. North had Christmas he's been preparing all year for, Tooth had the children's lost teeth, Sandy had dreams all over the world and Bunnymund painted Easter eggs all year. Jack gave snow days when he felt like it, along with scary blizzards. And since it's so close to Christmas (and the fact that he's on good terms with North), he didn't want to create any snow storms.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell my mom. Oh and by the way..." she began as she brought her hot chocolate down from her mouth. She cupped it, her yellow mitts enveloping the plastic cup. "You're kind of my Chemistry study buddy from here on in. Your name is... well, Jack Frost. The movie thing was an one-time deal because we were trying to get acquainted. Now that we know each other, we have study sessions but you notify me last minute and it's a bad habit of yours to break, got it?"

Jack laughed heartily. "Should I be honoured that you created a back story for me or insulted because that's not what I'd do at all?" he asked with a chuckle. It was predictable what happened next. _Smack!_

"I've only known you since the beginning of December! You can't expect me to be some expert on you for only knowing you for... for..." Ranon trailed off, trying to count backwards to the day she was brought to Santa's workshop.

"23 days?" Jack said. Counting days wasn't a big deal for him. He's existed for 300 years. Days weren't that big of a deal to count anymore.

"Yeah, 23 days. There is no way I could- _Wait, what?!_ 23 days?! Jack, that party is today!" she yelled, shocked at the sudden realization.

He rubbed the back of his neck a little shyly. "Surprise!" he said, though it didn't sound really merry or surprising.

"Maybe I do know you, Jack. You certainly make plans at the last minute," she muttered rather sarcastically. A smile danced on her lips.

"North planned for me to tell you last week, if that's any consolation. I just forgot until today," the boy corrected, though it wasn't really a defence in his part. Ranon laughed, similarly to the laugh she had at the workshop.

"Like that's going to change the fact that I have nothing to wear, I have no time to get ready, and I have to use you as an excuse to go," she said. She tried counting her fingers but her mitts didn't exactly show her fingers. Jack grinned.

"Look on the bright side. Tooth's going to be there and she's dying to give you her present. There's going to be music and dancing. I know how much you love dancing... and a certain six-foot rabbit is going to be there, as well," he said. He tried to sound nonchalant at the last part about the rabbit. Because, of course, guess who got excited?

"Easter Bunny? He's going to be there? Oh my goodness, I can't wait! But... I don't have anything to wear." Her eyes widened. "It's a Christmas party! I'm supposed to be festive! What if Bunny likes people who are festive and dress to the occasion?" She was throwing her hands about, her hot chocolate tucked snugly in between her legs. "What if he doesn't like to dance? What would he like to talk about? Does he like small talk?"

It was Jack's turn to hit Ranon. It wasn't a hard hit. Just a smack to the back of her head. "Honestly, you worry too much. Bunnymund's your classic bump on the log. Doesn't dance, doesn't drink. He just watches and smiles every once in a while. He finds his own fun in watching everyone else have fun."

"At least, he's having fun, Jack. You should be proud of him. Isn't that like your centre or something? Whatever it's called. Like how mine's supposed to be faith and Bunny's hope," Ranon told him. She instantly took a sip of her hot chocolate again. The heat was dying down and she was able to take longer gulps.

"Yeah, of course. But when he brings spring with him and I'm winter, it's not like I want him to have fun. He takes away my snow days with his warmth and renewal." He was making motions with his hands, clearly insinuating a sarcastic tone. However, the smile and glint in his eyes indicated that he was just playing. He was walking along the bench's back rest. His staff was on his shoulders, his arms leaning on it.

Ranon got up from the bench and adjusted her bag slightly. She held onto her hot chocolate with both hands. It was the silent indication that she was ready to go back home. "So who can I be counting on to bring me there? Bunny or you?" she asked with a teasing tone. Jack chuckled.

"I wasn't even supposed to tell you Bunnymund was going. It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise for you," Jack said. "Besides, I'm sure Ruka would want to put a face on the person who actually brings her sister out of the house."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You suck, Jack."

"I know I do. Well, shall we tell your family where you're going to be until late?"

"How late is late?"

"You'll lose track of time. I could say you're going to stay overnight."

"Now you're pushing it, sucker."

"Alright, alright. I'll bring you home about 1, at the latest," Jack said as he flew around Ranon. She made a laughing sound, though it was completely dry and sarcastic. Her face was once again unattractive. She had no doubt in her mind while normal boys avoided her. It didn't matter. She had a winter spirit for a brother-like best friend/nuisance and she had the manifestation of Easter as her knight in shining armour. Now, it's not what every girl dreams about. But Ranon was happier than she ever was in 18 years.

* * *

_**They're adorable! They're so... brother and sister-like! :'D I love writing about them in this way. And knowing there's going to be no romance makes it just all the more fuzzy inside. :3 But next chapter, be ready! Christmas party at North's! :b**_


	16. Fifteen: Christmas Party

"Your sister seems nice," Jack was saying as he leaned against the wall of Ranon's small room. Although, he was being totally ignored by the young woman. She couldn't find anything to wear. Jack didn't know how to help her. They were at what they called a crossroads. Finally, she managed to give up and go in what she was wearing. She wore a red hoodie with a black T-shirt underneath. She wore a white pencil skirt and black tights. Ranon was on desk duty at the daycare so that's why she was a little dressed up.

"Wait, before we go, I need to wrap something," she exclaimed. She walked up to the wall that was completely shelved. Most of them held stuffed animals but there was 3 shelves that had books in it. The bulkiest book was Ranon's storybook.

Now, Ranon's storybook was unlike any other in the world. It passed down from generation to generation. The classic fairytales were in there, but of course, they had some Patricks tweaking in them. They also had original works. There was a story called 'The Boy Who Had No Name'. It was about a young thief who never knew his own name. When he got caught stealing his next meal, a princess saved him from death and gave him a name. It taught about compassion and actually getting to know someone. There were many other stories like that. All of them teaching lessons and morality. All of them written by Patricks, even Ranon. There was a good handful of pages that were empty and had nothing in them.

Ranon knew she'd have no one to give it to. After all, she was going to be a Guardian when she turned 18. She'd doubt she could have kids with Bunnymund. Ranon was, well, human and he was, well, a rabbit. So, the logical solution was to give it to Jamie. He wanted one just like it. The storybook was an original. She'd just give him this one.

"This is going to be the first time a Patricks is going to give the storybook to a child who isn't their own." Ranon sighed and held the book close to her. "This will tie the Patricks and Bennett family closer. Not that they already were. Tomorrow, we're having dinner at their house and on Christmas day, they'll come to our house for dinner." She set the book down and began to wrap it in Christmas-themed wrapping paper. She put a bow on it then put the present into her bag. Jack said nothing, just smiled and nodded. "Well, shall we go?"

Jack grinned and looked around. There were no kids in sight. They were too busy watching Christmas movies and putting last-minute decorations. However, yells and footsteps could be heard from upstairs. She smirked softly. "Trust me, walking through a magic portal is much better than being tossed through one," Jack said.

He held up the snowglobe. With a smirk, he whispered into it, "The North Pole." A small image of the grand workshop showed up in the snowglobe before he threw it into the hallway. The portal opened, showing a clear view of Santa's workshop. Jack offered his hand to Ranon, who took with a sarcastic smirk.

As they walked through, Ranon found herself suddenly immersed into the commotion of the Christmas holidays. There were Yetis everywhere, carrying wrapped presents or wrapping toys. It was pretty amazing. Elves were clamouring about, being elves. She laughed as toy hovercrafts zoomed in the air above her.

"Ah, you made it!" North exclaimed in his trademark Russian accent. He held his arms up then approached the two. He engulfed them both into a bear hug. Ranon and Jack were lifted off the ground and almost squeezed to death.

Once her feet were back on the ground, Ranon laughed. Suddenly, a certain fairy zoomed up to the trio. She was all giggles as she hugged the young woman. "Oh, you made it, Rannie! Come here, come here! I have something for you! It's an early Christmas present! Normally, I don't give them out on the day of but I just had to, especially for this party! You're going to absolutely love it!" she exclaimed happily. Tooth grabbed her hands then led her away. Ranon could barely keep up. She let out a soft chuckle then looked back at the two. She smiled crookedly before disappearing out of sight.

"That's not fair. Tooth gets to call her Rannie. And I don't!" Jack exclaimed, shaking his head. North laughed. An elf nearby was carrying a fruitcake. The bearded man grabbed it then held it to Jack Frost.

"Fruitcake?" he asked with a smile. Jack rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm good," he said. "But I do love Black Forest cake. Got any on ya?"

"Black Forest? A chocaholic? Ha! I never would have guessed!" North said with a wondrous tone. He went to go find some elves. They were in charge of snacks and beverages. Which might've been a bad idea on North's part.

The bustle of the party went on and on. Jack couldn't count how much cups of eggnog he had. And he managed to eat all of the Black Forest cake. He found the dainty chocolate treats tray and pigged out until some elves shoved him away. The elves picked up the tray and began serving all the other guests Jack's delicious treats. Cheesed off, Jack tried to converse with the other immortal spirits. The Grand Elf was a conceited prick, just like Bunnymund had said. Cupid was charming, he had to admit, but a bad conversation holder. Jack had resolved to calling him Pretty Boy. All the leprechauns were fun little creatures but they took harmless pranks to a whole new level. Jack couldn't talk to one without another spraying him with water. Trolls were just... trolls. They were sarcastic and played on words way too much.

The only people he actually liked talking to were the season sprites. They were small fairies, maybe about the size of a doll. He especially liked the winter sprites. They were easy to get along with and they always had something to talk about: winter. He hadn't seen Bunnymund or any other Guardian fora while now.

Meanwhile, Tooth was still trying to get Ranon ready. "Rannie, your hair is impossible to work with! It doesn't want to stay in place!" she said, annoyed. The fairy was trying to do the young woman's hair.

"Normally, Ruka sprays it with aerosol until I can't breathe," she suggested. Toothiana tapped her chin then lit up, her wings taking her up another foot above the ground.

"Great idea! I know where to get some!" the hummingbird fairy exclaimed then flew away to get some hairspray.

Jack spent a good deal of time trying to find Bunnymund. When North said party, he meant party. There were so many people everywhere. It seemed he couldn't be alone. And it was impossible to find just one person.

Suddenly, Jack spotted two rabbit ears amongst the crowd. The boy grinned then hurriedly dodged people. "Hey, kangaroo! Some party, huh?" he exclaimed.

"C'mon, mate. Enough with the kangaroo folly." Bunnymund still smiled as Jack approached him. Then, the rabbit looked around. "Certainly beats Easter parties, mate. Sad but true."

Jack laughed and nodded. A flurry of feathers suddenly flew around them. The quick jibber-jabber was heard but only for a brief moment. It was Tooth, obviously looking for something. She must've quickly found it. Because just as quick as she passed the two, she passed by them again. Her jibber-jabber was more joyous as she flew above the crowd.

"What's Tooth doing?" Bunny asked, trying to find her. But she was probably long gone.

"Giving Ranon her Christmas present. At least, I think," Jack mumbled.

He saw the elves with the chocolate treat tray. They were about to jump off the table and start handing out the treats once more. 'Not this time,' Jack thought as he grabbed the tray just as the elves jumped. He quickly dove into the crowd, trying to avoid the elves. He ate as quick as he could. Devouring all the chocolates, he finally came face-to-face with the elves who took the chocolates in the first place. They looked completely serious as one of them moved their fingers in a 'give them here' motion. Jack smirked.

"Here ya go," he said and handed the elves the empty tray. The elf that had the tray looked at it, then grew an angry expression. He threw the tray down to the ground. He glared at Jack then walked away, pushing one of the other elves in the process.

The winter spirit could only laugh in response. Then a hushed silence grew over the crowd. All the guests began to look at one place. A winter sprite nearby whispered into a troll's ear. The troll replied in a quiet, husky voice. The sprite gasped and flew above the crowd, trying to get a peek at what was going on. Confused, Jack approached the sprite. "What's going on, Snowflake?" he asked curiously. Snowflake went down to Jack's eye level.

"Storyteller is back. At least, we think so. There's a person here who looks exactly like her," she told him. Jack raised his eyebrows. 'Ranon's here but...' Then, he began to push against the crowd to where they were all looking. As soon as he found the break, he saw something he did not expect.

Ranon. With her hair up in a fancy bun. And in a poofy dress. It was beige and corseted. Its shoulders were slightly puffy. But the thing Jack couldn't get over was that it was poofy. The skirt stretched out, making her look like she was from a fairytale book. It was a princess dress, the term Ranon used all the time for such dresses. He wouldn't believe it was Ranon. That is, if she didn't have her trademark claw scar on her face.

"Now if your 10-year-old self could see you, you would so be beating yourself up right now," Jack exclaimed and laughed. Ranon scowled at the silver-haired boy.

"Can it, sucker. I don't like it... but Storyteller would've. She would be proud that her descendant is wearing the symbol of the Fairy Godmother." Ranon stuck her tongue at the end, which was only mirrored by Jack.

"Wait a minute," Snowflake said as she flew up to Ranon. "You're a Patricks? A teenage Patricks? And you believe?" The girl smiled widely and nodded. "Then Storyteller will come back this year. I never met a teenage Patricks that still believed."

"I guess my ancestors just didn't have enough faith," she replied and curtsied ever so slightly. Snowflake smiled and quickly flew into the crowd. Immediately, chatter resumed and music began playing. The party seemed as if it were never interrupted. Ranon smiled up at Tooth who giggled and gave a thumbs-up in response. She grimaced jokingly at Jack before heading into the crowd to find a certain someone.

"Bunny! Care to dance?" she asked, bowing elegantly. So, for a moment, she forgot that Jack told her Bunnymund didn't dance. Blame it on her nervousness.

Bunnymund chuckled, a little uncomfortable. "Sorry, dearie but I don't-"

"You snooze, you lose!" Jack exclaimed, butting in between the two. His hand wrapped around Ranon's waist and swept her away to the dance floor. He grabbed her hand. After a moment, Ranon finally draped her hand on his shoulder.

"You-"

"Suck, I know. Hey, I thought you should at least dance one time before you spend the night with the bump on the log. I know how much you love to dance," he told her with a smile. Ranon rolled her eyes. Still, a happy smile never left her face. The two twirled and turned, spun and swayed. They were having fun dancing to the upbeat music.

Ranon spotted Tooth, looking on at the dancers and bobbing her head to the music. She looked as if she wanted to dance but just didn't have a partner. So, the girl managed to dance closer and closer to her. Jack was oblivious until she yelled, "Let's switch partners!" Ranon pushed him, twirling him around so he could face Tooth. He laughed softly and held out his hand. Toothiana eagerly took it and led him back onto the dance floor.

It was easy to find another partner to dance with. Ranon found herself dancing with Sandy. He was flying a good height above the ground so they were able to dance effectively. He still twirled her around and whatnot, but it was more adorable. His arms couldn't reach her waist so he just held onto her arms. She was having fun dancing with the Sandman.

Both Ranon and Jack had an array of dance partners. They saluted one another whenever they saw each other on the dance floor. Jack managed to charm most of the girls with his gleaming white smile and witty remarks. Ranon managed to make the boys laugh and feel a little more at ease. She was never one to make any boy fall deeply in love. Jack did that enough so she didn't have to.

Everyone was having fun dancing and laughing. There was one who didn't. That was Bunnymund. He watched everyone as he leaned on the wall by the fireplace. He looked bemused as he picked up on some of the conversations. He had no intention on stepping onto that dance floor, even if Ranon asked him.

That is, until someone wearing a blue hoodie held out his hand. "No way, you gummy. I don't dance. Have you seen the size of these feet?" Bunny protested, holding up his rabbit feet. Jack Frost rolled his eyes and scoffed. He still had that fun aura about him, though.

"Come on, you... bump on the log! You're going to spend the rest of eternity with a girl whose passion is to dance. You're going to have learn sometime. Now would be perfect!" he exclaimed, motioning out to the huge dancing crowd. Bunny groaned and shook his head.

"I'm going to regret this."

And with that, Bunnymund was introduced to dancing. It was hard, at first. Bunny always tripped over his huge feet. But once Jack gave him a mindset of fun, it was a lot easier. He didn't care that he tripped every now and then. Soon, Jack let go of Bunny and the two found different partners. Bunny and Ranon found each other.

The two didn't dance with another person for the rest of the party.

Eventually, the party began to die down. All the mythical creatures began to leave. They said it was fun. Better than last year's. Soon, all that was left were the Guardians. The first to leave was Sandy, then Tooth. They had dreams to give and teeth to collect.

It was Bunny's turn to leave. He sighed and hugged Ranon. "8 more days, dearie. Then it's together forever." He was about to let go when he felt something touch his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at the small plant hanging from a stick. It was a mistletoe, tied to the end of Jack's stuff.

"You bloody show pony. I never kissed under a mistletoe. It's bad luck! And I ain't never ever-"

Ranon cut him off by kissing him on the cheek. She got off her tippy-toes and laughed. "Now aren't you supposed to be getting back to the Warren?" she asked playfully. It took Bunnymund a good while to get back to reality. He half-smiled, still unwilling to believe that he was kissed. Then, with a thump-thump, Bunnymund was gone.

"I suppose now you want to go home?" Jack asked with a chuckle. Ranon yawned and stretched. She nodded. A little thought made her eyes widen.

"Jamie's present! I got to give it to North before he goes on his rounds!" she exclaimed as she hurried to North's quarters. Jack didn't follow her right away, spotting the last of the chocolate milk.

She found her pile of clothes easily. They were neatly folded on top of his desk. Her bag was beside them. It was open. Which wasn't how she left. Her heart started pounding. The storybook wasn't in the bag.

Her breath came more quickly to the point where she was hyperventilating. She looked all over the room but the present was nowhere to be found. She searched everywhere in a panicked frenzy. That present was so that Jamie could have faith in his babysitters. Even if it wasn't her.

"Looking for this, _dearie_?" a voice hissed, emphasis the dearie. Her ears were used to being called that by Bunny. Hearing someone else use it such a menacing way made her skin crawl. Ranon looked up to see someone hovering just outside the open window. He held the present tauntingly, waving it back and forth. "You should know. You can't make everyone happy."

Ranon ran to the window and tried grabbing for the present. The man flew just out of reach. There was no denying who it was. He had dark hair and grey skin. He wore a long overcoat that was black. His golden eyes veiled something tormented, mean and downright fearful.

She was ready to dive out the window after the man. She leaned dangerously over the edge, stretching with all her might. Just when she lost her balance, hands pulled her back inside. Not that she was scared of that. She wanted the present back too much to care about what happened to her. "Ranon, what are you doing? You could've died!"

Instantly, Ranon burst into tears as Jack held her. She buried her face into his chest. She muttered over and over again, "He took the present. He took it."

"Who took the present, Rannie?" Jack finally asked, after much consideration. It took a great deal of effort for her to stop crying.

"The Boogeyman."

* * *

_**Christmas party! Yay! Anywho, Pitch makes his appearance. So does Cupid and many others. For the record, the only reason I made Jack a chocaholic is because... I haven't met many boys who are chocaholics. I thought it'd be an awesome quirk for Jack Frost. :3**_


	17. Sixteen: Storybook Time

_**Sorry!~ It was my mom's birthday yesterday... and the day before I was too busy to do anything! ^^; Nonetheless, time for the significance that is the storybook. Until next time, my lovelies!~**_

* * *

Pitch held the storybook, feeling the grooves in said book. The cover had an engraving of a salamander holding a balloon with its mouth. It was once a chocolate brown colour but age and tatter reduced to a light washed-out brown colour. There was a latch on the storybook.

"The power of Storyteller. The power I now wield... And she doesn't even know," Pitch said with a wicked chuckle. He opened the latch of the storybook. "Which part of her should I tear apart first?"

He found the most recent story. It was about the trip to Santa's workshop. He chuckled as his hand gripped the pages of the story. It took one smooth motion of his wrist to rip the pages out of the book. From the depths of his lair, a scream echoed amongst the cold stone and shadowy caverns. Suddenly, a familiar chill crawled up his spine. Someone was scared. Someone was wondering why they were so afraid. Someone was drowning in fear. Oh, how he loved the feeling.

"Time to ruin Storyteller. Time to ruin all the joys of the Guardians," he said menacingly. After a few flipping of the pages, he reached a familiar story about a girl who wished to be a boy. The _moral_ of the story was that everyone was unique and lovable in their own way. They shouldn't want to be anyone else but themselves. Bah. He took the pages of the story and ripped them out of the book. Another scream bounced off the walls of the dark underworld of fright.

* * *

Ranon was crying on the floor of her bathroom. She was in a world of pain. It scared her. She was fine the morning of. She woke up early and whatnot, preparing for a busy day of parties and celebrations. But then, she just felt like her insides were being torn apart. It was like a ripple of white-hot searing pain shot through her. It felt unreal. She honestly thought she should be dead from all this hurt she was feeling. Her tears stained her cheeks and her face was a bright tomato.

When she felt that the pain was somewhat bearable, she got up from the floor. She steadied herself using the sink counter to balance. She took one look at the mirror and screamed once again. Her scar. It was gone. There was nothing left of it. She couldn't believe it. Just at the point where she had gotten used to it. There was also another thing. Her cheeks... they were chubbier. Squinting her eyes, she scrutinized every detail about her reflection. Her eyes widened.

She looked exactly like she did when she was 15. She lost her chubby cheeks when she began getting taller. Her face was lower than it usually was in the mirror. She could see the showerhead once again if she looked at the opposite wall. Her eyebrows weren't plucked and she had discolourations all over her face. That, and her hair was shorter. And she had a hard time remembering what happened in the last year. Even though she knew, deep down.

"What's happening to me?" she asked herself. It was breathy and afraid. She didn't want to know the answer to such a question. Suddenly, a ripple of pain shot through her. A tearing noise screamed through her eardrums. She screamed again.

Ryan had heard her. "Rannie, what's wrong?" he asked cautiously. He opened the door to see a girl that looked like his sister, except younger. She had pimples all over her face and she was a little shorter. Ranon had somehow reverted to the age she looked when she was 14. "Rannie?"

"Ryan, honey... I need you to tell them I'm sick. I took all my medicine already and I'm just going to rest, okay?" she said, though it was a higher pitch than before. Many people don't notice how a girl's voice had matured until they hear their voice again at a younger age.

"Feel better, Rannie!" he chirped, suddenly having confidence in who it was. As soon as the boy went out the door, she could hear him talking to another kid. From where she was standing, it sounded like Taylor.

Once the two were back upstairs, she quickly grabbed a towel and headed back into her room. She knew it was only a matter of time before another wave of hurt was coming. And in some mind-jarring way, she'd lose a year. Ranon didn't like the thought of that. She was going to be 13 next. Then, it'd come to her tomboy years.

* * *

"_What?!_ What do you mean Pitch stole Ranon's storybook?" Bunnymund growled. "Do you have any idea what that book means to her... to us?"

Jack had just finished telling the others the event of last night. At first, he thought it wasn't a big deal. He thought it was just some way to make her feel bad. But, apparently, it wasn't.

"Jack, that storybook is a lot like your staff. Remember when you told me how Pitch broke it in half? You said it felt like your body was broken into two, though it really wasn't. That's what's going to happen to Ranon if someone managed to rip a story out of her storybook. The only difference is that Ranon will not only feel the pain, she'll lose a year of her life. I... I honestly don't know what'll happen when Pitch rips out 17 stories..."

Sandman seemed to know. A cascade of symbols appeared over his head, trying to tell them what would happen. Though, no one really understood him. They all looked at the small man, dumbfounded. Sandy rolled his eyes then flew to the huge 'G' on the floor of Santa's workshop. Sandy stomped on it once then shook his head. Tooth and Bunny gasped. Jack had an inkling of an idea but still, he didn't know. North was out delivering presents seeing as how it was Christmas Eve in different parts of the world.

"Ranon would no longer carry the spirit of Storyteller. If he destroys that whole book-"

"He'll destroy the Guardian of Faith! Story wouldn't be able to come back. Even if a direct descendant comes in a hundred years..."

All of their eyes widened then looked at Bunny. He looked heartbroken at such an idea. His ears twitched but he wouldn't let himself think like that. "No. We are going to get that book back before Pitch kills Ranon and Story. Somehow, someway."

"How are we going to do that, Bunny? We didn't even know that he had managed to come back, let alone where to find him!" Tooth exclaimed, flitting around in worry. "I know. I'll go tend to her. Poor girl must be scared out of her mind!"

Before anyone else could agree, she flew out the workshop and in the general direction of Ranon's house. With a sigh, Bunny looked at Jack. He had a crooked half-smile. "You know where he hides, don't you, Jack? After that little escapade last Easter."

"Aw, come on, Bunny! You know I didn't mean to!" the silver-haired boy said a little bugged. Bunnymund had a nasty habit of holding grudges. He still hadn't forgiven Jack for the blizzard in '68.

Sandman pursed his lips then waved to the others. He had a childish grin on as he floated away in a cloud of sand. In the mute Guardian's mind, Jack and Bunny needed to work together more often. After all, they still argued like an old couple and competed like immature boys. That act was getting a little tiring on Sandy. Besides, he trusted that the two would help Ranon in time.

"Looks like it's just you and me, mate."

A pause. "Looks like."


	18. Seventeen: Ripping

Jack gulped softly as he walked into the forest just outside of Burgess. It was the forest where Pitch's entrance to his lair was before. Last time he came into this forest, he managed to ruin Easter, be more afraid than ever and have one of his close friends held hostage. Oh yes, this place certainly held some precious memories.

Where the rickety, broken bed was, a lavish, blackened brass-framed bed lay. There was a mattress with bedsheets and everything. Pitch was gaining in even more power than before. Underneath the bed, lay the hole which looked inconspicuous to most non-believers. But to the two Guardians, it was a terrifying gap filled with darkness.

That was no mindset to have when confronting Pitch. Sadly, they couldn't shake themselves out of it. So Jack Frost and Bunnymund crawled under the bed and into Pitch's lair with fright already in their systems. The corridor was much like a tunnel, though much scarier. It gave a cringing chill that ran throughout the whole body. The fear was unearthly and unnatural.

"Ah, visitors? Isn't a shame how no one knocks anymore," Pitch said as he looked upon the mimic of a globe with all sorts of glowing lights. His back was turned to the two and he didn't even bother with a backwards glance. Jack tightened his grip on his staff. Bunny took out his two boomerangs and held them, ready to throw them in an instant. "Oh, come now. You won't be needing those. Not if Ranon's life is on the line. She's... how old now? 13?"

Bunnymund stopped instantly. His eyes widened for a moment but the Guardian quickly regained his composure. "You don't know what you're dealing with Pitch. If more than 17 stories are ripped out of that there book, all of us will be weakened, even you."

A throaty chuckle escaped from Pitch's lips. It was easy to tell that he wore a dastardly smirk by the tone of his voice. "Yes, of course. But, as you both know, Storyteller doesn't tell stories of the Boogeyman anymore. She tells stories of _morals_ and _responsibilities_ and... hmph. She tells stories of the Guardians. So, maybe I will be affected... but not as much as you, Bunny. Do you know how many stories the Patricks have written about you?" the tall spirit said. He was taunting and mocking but in the way that made you feel bad.

Bunny's ears immediately fell down as his eyes were cast down. He lowered his boomerangs for a moment. Another dark chuckle came from Pitch. He was clearly enjoying this advantage he had over Bunnymund. Jack felt as if he was once again a neutral party, someone that could be easily ignored in such a situation.

"What does this give you anyway? You know, kids still won't believe in you. As long as one kid's still believing-"

"Faith is what makes kids believe, Jack Frost. Faith is believing something will happen. Storyteller symbolizes that with her stories. When her storybook is nothing but ash, children will lose their faith, starting first with the ones in Burgess. The home of the Last Light," Pitch seethed, spitting each word with as much venom as he possibly could.

The only thought that ran through Jack's head was Jamie. Jamie was the Last Light. Jamie was supposed to receive that storybook as a Christmas present, like Ranon had told him. If he woke up and found it wasn't there... would his faith really disappear like Pitch said it would? Jamie was a believer. What could such a little storybook do to change that?

"Give us that book, Pitch!" Bunny yelled suddenly. He threw his boomerang. It spun in the air at an incredibly fast rate, hitting Pitch's dark grey hands. As an instinctive reaction, the Boogeyman let go of the book. The large rabbit didn't hesitate to take his chance.

Leaning on his back legs, he jumped up and landed in between Pitch and the book. He positioned himself in a millisecond so his back was to the ground. His massive and powerful feet kicked Pitch away. He hit his back against a jagged wall, as pain shot through him on impact. Pitch landed in a heap on the ground, struggling to get up. Bunny grabbed the book and began to bounce off in the direction where they came. However, it led to a dead end.

"No, no, no, no, no," Bunny repeated over and over as he searched for an exit. He couldn't seem to find one, no matter where he looked.

Jack, on the other hand, was trying his hardest to keep Pitch away from Bunny. He did his best to keep all of Pitch's attention on him. It wasn't hard. He just had to make a few snarky remarks about living under a bed, having bad teeth, and not being believed in. That guaranteed Pitch's full attention. It wasn't that hard to piss off the Boogeyman, in Jack's opinion.

However, like most cowards, Pitch slipped away into the shadows. It was the one place where Jack had the disadvantage. And if Jack had a disadvantage, Bunnymund did, too.

"Poor Bunny. Everyone thought that his childish fear of greyhounds was the only thing that spooked him," Pitch's voice rang out. It was everywhere. So hard to pinpoint an exact source of the Boogeyman's voice. It left both Jack and Bunny on guard. Bunny being the most paranoid at the moment. "He fears that he'll lose her forever. To never again hold her and tell her sweet, romantic things. Well, rabbit, I never would've figured you to be the romantic." Jack had seen Pitch's shadow on an old staircase. As quickly as he could, he tried to blast that specific place in ice. However, it seemed Pitch's shadowing was faster. "Most of all, you're afraid of losing your faith. It's what makes hope stronger. Without it, you could never be E. Aster Bunnymund. You'd just be Bunnymund, filled with hope but never truly believing. Never being able to have faith in someone, to trust in other's abilities or your own."

"You're nothing but a bloody nightmare, you ol' coward! Come out and fight if you've got me so figured out, eh?" the bunny yelled. He sounded strong and confident. But Pitch knew better. He knew Bunnymund was scared. He planted the seeds inside that egg-sucker's brain. He now can't help but to think of those things.

"Now I could... but why? Why would I come out if I've got all I needed with me?" Pitch asked. It sounded as if he had something advantageous. Something that put the odds back in his favour. Bunny's paw balled into a fist. He gritted his teeth and cursed himself. His fist held neither a boomerang or the storybook. A whooshing sound filled the rabbit's eardrums. His paw went up to catch the boomerang.

"Oh, that's just dirty," Jack commented as he tried blasting the wall with ice once more. Again, the silver-haired boy missed. Pitch Black materialized for a moment, thumbing through the pages of the storybook.

"Ah, here we are." A boomerang flew through the air just as Pitch retreated to the shadows. Neither of them could make a successful attack. "The story of a 6-year-old girl who didn't have a care in the world. She refused to clean up and do her chores. When it came to Easter, the Easter Bunny noticed how messy it was. So he wrote a letter, promising that if the girl cleaned up her mess, she'd have a basket full of treats. It took her a whole day to do it but she managed to clean every inch of that house. At the end of the day, a basket full of goodies and hope waited for her. From then on, she never ignored her chores. Because the reward for doing the simplest things could be great if you worked hard. Blah, blah, blah."

Sinister laughter could be heard as Pitch materialized once more... only to rip the pages out of the storybook. The ripped pages scattered the floor. Jack, since he wasn't in the story, wasn't affected and began to collect the pages. However...

Bunny was curled in on himself, shivering from the white hot pain he felt. He didn't yell out or say anything. He just lied there, writhing in his hurt. He slightly decreased in size but not as much. He was about Jack's height if he were standing up. What made it worse was the shriek that filled the air with deafening terror. It was Ranon, losing another year of her life.

* * *

_**Cliffhanger. Dun dun dun. What on earth could happen next? o: And don't worry, my lovelies, I'll return to updating daily once the weekend starts because of my Christmas break! YAHOO! **_


	19. Eighteen: Something's Off

**Here's another chapter! I'm glad you guys are loving this story! It makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Reviews are always appreciated. :D *hearts everywhere***

* * *

"Bunny! Come on now," Jack mumbled. "You can get through this!"

The winter spirit shook Bunny softly but panicky. He was worried. Despite their constant arguments, Jack didn't want him to have to go through such pain. He had the pages of the story in his hand. Jack didn't know why he gathered them but he refused to let the pages out of his sight.

"...Jack? My god, it feels like it was just yesterday we just recovered from the Dark Ages..." the bunny murmured. The large rabbit stood up. It took him a while to balance out, but couldn't help but notice his height difference. "Crikey. I was short 400 years ago."

Jack couldn't help but to let out a relieved smile. He pat the bunny on the back before paying his attention back to his surroundings. Pitch was in the shadows somewhere with the storybook. Bunny became on guard as well. He had his boomerangs up. His green eyes scanned every inch of the dark lair.

"There! By the cages!" Bunny yelled. In the same instant he yelled that, he leaped to the cages and threw his boomerang. Jack followed. There was a moment where Jack saw Pitch in a cage but soon the image dissipated into black smoke. The boomerang hit the cage not even a moment later.

It was like a cat-and-mouse chase from then on. There were many close calls but Pitch had the advantage. He knew the place better than anyone else and he was able to move through the shadows. He never materialized long enough to make a single attack. There was a point, though, where he created an opening for himself.

"Ranon's fear... or fears, for those who really know her. What do you suppose they are? Bunny, you should know this," Pitch's voice rang out from everywhere but nowhere at the same time. It was mocking and was made just to tick the two off.

"Rack off! What's it to you?" Bunny yelled. Jack couldn't help but notice that Bunny sounded a little more... immature and ill-tempered.

"What you should be asking is... what is it to you, rabbit?" he countered. The prominent sound of a paper ripping echoed through the caverns. Bunny paled... if a bunny could. But it was just a trick hat. It wasn't the storybook. "Now, let's try again. Name Ranon's fears."

"She's afraid that something harmful will happen to her brothers and sisters," Jack suddenly interjected. He hadn't known her long enough to know the rest of her fears. But talking about faith and worry helped Jack out to realize that it was something she was deeply afraid of.

"She's afraid of blood. And crowded places! She's afraid of being completely alone... without anyone to take care of... or anyone to care for her," Bunny added immediately. "She's afraid of the dark, too."

"Ah, yes. The dark. The one place I feel comfortable in. The only place where Ranon would scream bloody murder in." A devious chuckle. "But that's not what I'm looking for." His voice was teasingly in a sing-song tone. "Ranon has a fear that only her family knows about. Specifically, her uncle. Mountain lions."

"Mountain lions?" Jack asked underneath his breath. "There are no mountain lions near Burgess."

"Ranon doesn't originate from this Burgess, mate," Bunny said. "She used to live on Emerald Lake at the base of Mount Burgess in the Canadian Rockies. _There's _the mountain lions."

Pitch let out another laugh as he continued, "Yes, mountain lions. She even managed to write a story about them. They're the antagonists. They kidnap kids who disobey their parents and venture out too far into the mountains. One day, a teenage boy was hiking and forgot about his father's warning. Why? Because he saw the most perfect Christmas tree he could cut down and bring to his father. This would've been such an accomplishment. If not for those mountain lions. Hmph. The boy was never seen or heard from again. The eleventh year of her life. Such a tragic year for such a scarred child."

Jack couldn't wrap his head around it. It wasn't too hard to believe. Jack didn't see Ranon around a lot until just recently. He saw her around while she was a teenager. But he couldn't place what she looked like as a child. What Jack couldn't wrap his around was the fact that he felt like he knew Ranon much longer than he actually did. And not as in when they first met and talked. Jack thought he helped her out with snow days and winter break much more than he actually did.

However, his train of thought stopped. For the echoes of ripping could be heard. He ripped out the story about the mountain lions. Bunny flinched as he heard the shrill scream of Ranon. He himself didn't go down. The story wasn't about him. The rabbit saw the pages of the story falling through the air. He didn't know where Pitch was but he couldn't let the pages go to waste. He grabbed all of them before they touched the ground.

Bunnymund's ear twitched. He could hear a third pair of feet. Pitch wasn't in the shadows. As quick as he could, he bounded towards the footsteps. Just as Pitch was about to go into the shadows again, Bunny pounced on him. He didn't stay there long. He only allowed himself enough time to rip the storybook out of Pitch's grasp. Then he threw an exploding egg at the Boogeyman. Along with his powerful feet kicking against Pitch's abdomen, the power of the explosion rocketed Bunny away. He was headed straight for a cage. So, he positioned himself so his feet would use the cage as a backboard so he could get back down on solid ground. This time, he made sure to always be aware of the book.

There was something off with this. Something that just didn't make sense. It wasn't the fact that Pitch didn't advance on them. It wasn't the fact that a familiar burrow appeared by an old stone staircase.

It was the fact that Jack was on the ground, panting heavily. He gripped the pages so hard it looked as if the pages would crumple into dust under his grasp. His eyes were sealed shut. His hands and knees were propped up and tense, trying to keep him from falling onto the ground.

It was off because Jack wasn't in the story. Which meant one of two things. One: Jack was there when Ranon wrote the story. Or two: Jack was there when the idea of the story came to the author. For Ranon, it was the memory of which she based the story on.


	20. Nineteen: Sonny

_**Heyo! Here's a sob story/flashback on Ranon once again. Now, remember Sonny, guys. He'll show up later on. He's actually a really important character... but none of you know that. You guys made that connection on your own without me telling, right? Right. =w=**_

* * *

"C'mon now, Jackie. You got this," Bunny murmured as he helped hoist the boy up. Somehow his eyes managed to turn a soft amber-brown, instead of their usual intense icy blue. His hair was silver for the most part, with streaks of golden brown in it. Jack couldn't stand on his own just yet, so he leaned on Bunnymund.

Seeing as how they were going too slow, Bunny got on all fours and manoeuvred Jack so he rested on his back. Then he bounded towards the burrow. They were familiar burrows, ones that Bunny knew how to navigate through. It wasn't long until Bunny arrived at the front of Ranon's back door.

He turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. Cautiously, he entered the house. Tooth was just off the ground, her wings fluttering rapidly. She hovered over a sobbing child. The child had her hands over her face. Her hair was short and unkempt.

"She's been like this since the last story was ripped out. I-I-I don't know what happened. I don't know what to do," Tooth said, concern filling her voice. She sounded so much like a mother.

Bunny's breath was caught in his throat. It was a lot of effort just to utter, "Rannie?"

Still, the child looked up. Her face was chubby and bright red. Her cheeks were swollen and tear-stained. Long eyelashes framed her round, chocolate brown eyes. The long lashes would disappear as Ranon grew up. She looked like Taylor, except that Ranon had cuts and bruises all over her. She had a prominent scratch on her left cheek and a huge goose egg on the right side of her forehead.

Jack was speechless. He knew this child. He didn't know her as Ranon. He knew her as... Rannie. That's it! That's why he felt like he watched over her so long. That's why it felt so natural for him to call her that. Because he has been all this time!

Suddenly, a depressed wave washed over Jack Frost. He knew this child. He knew this child and the mountain lion incident. At once, Ranon's suppressed fear of mountain lions make so much sense. And only why her uncle really knows about it.

* * *

It was New Year's Eve. It was Rannie's birthday. She turned 11. Her uncle, J.R Patricks, ruffled her hair. Jack Frost chuckled as he watched from the window. "Happy birthday, kiddo. You're a big kid now," the tall man said in a deep voice. Rannie laughed and nodded. "Big kids get to toboggan past the tree line."

"Uncle, are you really letting me?" Rannie gasped. Despite looking like a boy, her voice was soft and sweet. J.R nodded and laughed.

A ring of complaints raised from the older cousins. All of them were boys. Rannie was the first girl of her generation. Which was probably why she developed such a tomboy complex.

There was Jeremy and Isaac, twins who went by Jem and Izzy respectively. They were 17 and the oldest out of the cousins. There was Scout, who was 15, and Matthew, who was 13. Jem, Izzy, Scout and Matthew all were brothers. All of them had Aunt Rosalind as their mother. There was also Sonny, who was 16. He was an only child and his father was J.R. Rosalind, J.R and Rannie's mother were siblings.

"Boys, I won't hear any of it. Rannie is going past the treeline. It's her 11th birthday. Don't you remember your 11th birthday?" J.R asked all of them. Grumbling came from all five of them. It was tradition. All children, when they turn eleven, go sliding past the tree line, where the more adventurous hills await.

So, all six children got ready to leave. They put on their snowsuits and grabbed their toboggans. Just when Rannie was about to leave, J.R snagged her hat and gave her one of his own. The small girl wore it proudly as she followed the older boys out the door.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" she yelled after them. It was hard to keep up due to her ski pants' mobility access. They didn't stop for her, merely slowed down enough so she thought she caught up. Just as she was about to walk normally, the boys would start walking faster, running even; 'racing' to the nearest hill. Rannie was used to such teasing so she didn't particularly mind it. Sonny, however, was irked by his cousins' actions. He walked with Rannie, who was having trouble keeping up with the teenagers. Soon, the four brothers were out of sight. Their hollers and whoops could be heard as they began to slide down the first hill. Rannie pouted, sad that she missed the fun with her cousins. Even though they teased her often, the boys were actually really fun to hang out with.

"C'mon, Rannie, the first hill is no fun anyways. I'll show you a shortcut to an even better hill. Would you like that?" Sonny asked the small girl. Rannie nodded vigorously as she jumped up in joy. Sonny had on a headband that covered his ears. His spiky, blonde hair draped over the headband. He had chocolate brown eyes, just like Rannie. In fact, all of the cousins had the same eyes.

The two began trekking away from the snowmobile trail. Sonny's father had mapped out the terrain, finding the funnest, but safest, hills. J.R had told all of them to stay on the snowmobile trail. There were mountain lions on Mount Burgess and a few of them make Emerald Lake their homes. Sonny, however, knew the forest like the back of his hand. He knew where all the mountain lion dens were by exploring past any trails marked by his father. Jack knew this. Because on Mount Burgess, it was winter almost all year.

"Hey, Sonny!" Rannie yelled. The teenager looked back and was instantly hit with a snowball. The force wasn't enough to make him fall down. However, the sting of cold burned his face. When he got all the snow off, Sonny was a blonde tomato. Nonetheless, he laughed and began making snowballs.

"Nice throw, Rannie! Extra rations for you!" the winter spirit yelled. Jack enjoyed setting up ammo for the two cousins. They had a snowball fight at the base of a hill. Sonny managed to build a snowfort during the fight. Rannie hid in the trees and bushes.

The thing about wildlife was that they were unpredictable. Although Sonny knew the forest, he didn't know the mountain lions. The animals move higher up in the mountains around this time of year. However, one was late because of an unexpected pregnancy. And she needed to feed her cubs.

A low guttural growl emanated from the top of the hill. Rannie gasped and Sonny's eyes widened. Rannie looked at the older boy, fear engulfing her. Sonny put his gloved finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet. The small girl nodded. She refused to look at anywhere but Sonny. He motioned for her to follow him. As soon as Rannie stood beside Sonny, a roar echoed throughout the winter air. Panicked yells from the other brothers could be heard somewhere in the distance.

Sonny instantly grabbed a hold of Ranon. He hoisted her up into the trees. "Climb!" he ordered right away. Despite being so afraid, the small girl did as she was told. She climbed as quick as she could. Sonny followed after her.

The mountain lion ran down the hill. She arrived at the base of the tree where the two were climbing. Jack Frost was trying to divert the mountain lion away from them. But snowballs coming from nowhere didn't hold the lion's attention for very long. She went back to the prize she could see.

Rannie was considerably high. Sonny was having more difficulty. He was heavier and wasn't as nimble as the small girl. He was climbing at about half the rate Rannie was. The mountain lion stood on its two back legs and leaned its forepaws on the tree. Every now and then, she'd claw at Sonny's dangling feet.

Most of the time, she missed. However, the times she didn't left a huge rip in his ski pants, along with a horrible gash in his leg. "Rannie, whatever you do, don't look down. You're not going to like what you see," the teenager said. In the midst of all this, Sonny was still taking into consideration Rannie's feelings. It would be a noble act if Rannie knew what noble meant.

Jack did the best he could to protect the children. He hit the lion with his staff, which caused the lion to go back on all fours. He continued hitting the feline, trying to lead it astray. It worked as the lion moved away from the tree and work its way up the hill.

Sonny groaned in pain. "We have to get down. We need to get back to the house," he managed to say through the throbbing pain he felt in his legs. Rannie only nodded silently. The two slowly climbed down the tree. Sonny was slow because of his injured legs. Rannie was slow because the higher the branches, the icier they were.

Ice and Rannie never mixed well. She slipped on a branch and fell backwards. She managed to turn herself around, which resulted in hitting her head on a branch and some of the smaller branches whipped at her skin. Rannie hit the ground with a thud and no major injuries. Except for the huge goose egg on her right forehead and a prominent scratch on her left cheek. Sonny couldn't walk, his legs burned. The mountain lion managed to scratch him deep enough so that blood was endlessly seeping through seemingly without an end. Rannie immediately ushered him to a toboggan, trying her best not to look at the crimson liquid. She began to pull the rope with all her might. The pace was slow and uneasy. And Sonny was losing a lot of blood quickly.

Jack managed to trap the mountain lion in a small cave. It wouldn't hold the lion for long but it'd be enough for the children to get back to J.R's house. The spirit quickly flew to Rannie and Sonny. The 16-year-old was paling quickly. Rannie couldn't pull the toboggan quick enough to reach home in time. After all, she was only 11.

Jack decided to help but creating a trail of ice to the house. Rannie slipped and fell onto her bottom as the sled began sliding down the ice trail. It was quick and efficient. It would've been fun as well if a life wasn't on the line.

J.R burst out the door as soon as Rannie arrived at the foot of the porch. She pulled the toboggan with Sonny on it. The four brothers followed right after R.J, then Rosalind and Donna Rae, Rannie's mother. Jack watched, as well, hovering over the toboggan.

"Oh no, please don't. No, you can't be. Sonny, you got to make it," Jack mumbled over and over. Sonny looked up into the sky. Or at least, that's what Jack assumed. He couldn't have possibly seen Jack. Nonetheless, Sonny smiled. 'Take care of her, will ya?' The boy mouthed the words. Jack always assumed that he was talking to some higher deity. He couldn't possibly be talking to Jack. By now, Sonny was white as a ghost. His eyes drooped shut. The boy lost the will to even open them. The boy lost the will to continue fighting.

"No! M-My son! Sonny! My boy! _No!_" J.R yelled. Then and only then, did Rannie begin to cry. She held onto the rope as tightly as she could. That was her mindset for the last little while. Hold on to the rope tightly and make it to the house. Soon, everyone else was crying. Devastated over such a horrible loss. Sonny had died that day.

* * *

"Mount Burgess... Emerald Lake... Sonny!" Jack finally exclaimed, coming back to reality. His eyes scanned the room. Ranon stopped sobbing, looking at Jack with an incredulous expression. She wiped at her eyes.

"How do you know that?" she asked softly. Her voice was sweet but weak.

"I was there. I led the mountain lion away so you could get back to your house. I tried getting you back to your uncle's house faster but..."

"You were too late," Ranon murmured. She hugged her knees, resting her chin on them. Well, at least, she stopped crying. She wiped at her eyes and sighed. "My storybook, do you guys have it?"

The two nodded. With a soft sigh, Ranon stepped off her bed and shuffled her way to Bunnymund and Jack. "Thanks. Now, let's try to get back to normal. How many stories have you collected?"

Jack and Bunny looked at each other with an 'oops' expression. "Two, dearie. 'Easter Clean-Up' and 'Mount Lion'."

"We need those other pages! Please, it's the only way I can get back to normal. We need to hurry before my mom comes to check up on me!" the small girl pleaded. Tooth Faith quickly agreed.

"She's right! There were 3 close calls where people have made it downstairs. Emily's been calling out for Rannie for a while now and the older kids are constantly threatening to come downstairs!" Tooth exclaimed.

"I can't believe we have to go back," Jack said, exasperated.

"Can't believe you're complaining. Now, buck up and let's get those pages."


	21. Twenty: Mending Storybook

_**This chapter is a little meh. It's important but meh. Well, not really important. Just one detail about it is important. So it makes it all the more meh. But I haven't updated in 2 days... and yeah. Enjoy! :'D *hearts***_

* * *

"It's getting dark out," Jack stated, looking up at the sky. Bunnymund looked around and crinkled his furry nose.

"Pitch'd be doing his rounds, I reckon. Giving kids nightmares," he muttered with venom dripping in his voice. His tone was truly acidic, full of distaste.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Jack asked, his brown eyes sparkling. Bunny wasn't used to them. And he didn't think he'd ever will. It was a good thing they were getting those pages right away.

"Nightmares are a natural part of childhood, mate. As much as I don't like it, the Man in the Moon says there needs to be nightmares," Bunnymund explained. Jack huffed in response. He had a sour expression on, his eyes narrowed.

The two managed to find their way back into the underground liar. It was dark and lifeless. It sent chills up Jack's spine. It made Bunny's fur stand on end. They searched all over the place. They managed to find the pages Pitch had ripped out. However, they had black inky splotches all over the words.

However, they had no time to question it. They needed to get back to Ranon right away. Her mother could walk in on her being 11 at any moment.

One of Bunnymund's burrows opened up. The two quickly ran into the green, circular hole. As fast as they could, the two made it to Ranon's house. They held onto the pages tightly, afraid to lose such important things. Bunnymund, this time, opened his burrow in Ranon's room. The 11-year-old was back to sobbing. Tooth sat on her knees, caressing Ranon's back softly. She was comforting the poor child.

"Oh, thank goodness! Donna Rae is going to come downstairs in 10 minutes, we better be quick!" Toothiana exclaimed. Her wings started fluttering as she hovered over the bed.

"All right, no need to panic, I've done a few book mending in my day," Bunnymund said as he collected all the pages of the book. He then grabbed the story book. Jack rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He watched the rabbit in slight disdain. He sounded more full of himself than he usually did.

Normally, such book mending would take days on end. However, Bunny used unearthly speed and a little bit of magic to mend the book in record time. The rips were the pages were taken out could clearly be seen. There was something that bugged Bunnymund. The splotches on the pages. They were unusual. It almost didn't even look like ink. It looked like black sand that was woven into the paper most unusually.

When Bunny finished and looked at Ranon, she was happily smiling. However, she was no longer a chubby-cheeked, short-haired tomboy. She was a normal-cheeked, long-haired teenager. She patted her cheeks once and her smile grew. A noise that strongly resembled a squeal escaped her lips. Bunnymund chuckled.

"Ranon! Ranon! Are you all right? You haven't been upstairs all day! Everyone's beginning to worry!" she exclaimed. Donna Rae was a beautiful woman. However, it wasn't a striking beauty, so as everyone would fall heeds over heels with her. It was actually more of a sweet and wise beauty, one that would make you listen to what she has to say, one that a smile would make you feel warm and appreciated. It was an unusual beauty. It came from a good soul.

"Mama, I'm all right. Just didn't feel too good. I think I came down with a bug," Ranon exclaimed, sitting on her bed. It looked as if a crisis just didn't happen. The only thing that indicated anything was her tear-stained cheeks, from crying so hard before.

Donna Rae's expression turned into one of worry. Of course, she couldn't see the company that she had. Tooth, Bunny, and Jack looked a little awkward. However, Jack had his hair and eyes back to normal, while Bunny was taller once again. The woman went to examine Ranon. However, she didn't find anything too unusual. "It must've passed and gone, like a crazy wind on a fun snow day," Donna Rae muttered, with a soft southern accent. It wasn't that noticeable to people who work and live with her every day. But to those who normally don't talk to her, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

After a talk on good 'health tippers', Donna Rae went back upstairs to finish preparing the younger ones for a Christmas Eve party. Ranon breathed a small sigh of relief as she opened the storybook. Her eyes furrowed.

"How can I give this to Jamie now? There's these daubs of black grossness on the stories!" Ranon exclaimed, her voice becoming whiny. She sighed and hugged the book. "I guess I'll just give it to him some other time, when I fix the pages."

Her chin rested on the storybook edge. Her eyes looked at Bunnymund, then at Jack. She was about to thank him but Bunny interjected, "It's no problem, dearie. You know we'd do it no matter what." Jack nodded, halfheartedly agreeing.

Ranon crinkled her nose slightly, looking up at Tooth. "I'd ask you to stay with me but you probably have to collect teeth," she said, her voice the smallest bit disappointed. Tooth smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Oh, don't worry. It's Christmas tomorrow. We'll come visit. Besides, while we were done here, Rin lost an incisor trying to chew open a peanut. I'll be back," Tooth told her, a soft giggle in her voice. She missed having Storyteller around. It was clear to see that Ranon was every bit a storyteller, maybe even more so than the original.

"North wants me at the North Pole for some oddball reason tomorrow. If I have enough time, I'll come stop by," Bunnymund said with a roll of his shoulders. Ranon was about to look on Jack but then she heard a small stumble of feet.

"Rannie?" Rosie May asked. She blinked, looking straight at all the mystical figures in front of her. She didn't say anything. She only looked around them until she saw her sister. "Rannie!"

"Is that all she says?" Jack Frost asked. Ranon chuckled as she picked up her sister. Rosie May looked at all the creatures curiously but said nothing. She smiled at Bunny, but continued to merely look at the others. The baby was in an adorable crimson red velvet dress, with white faux fur lining on the cuffs and collar. She had an adorable black belt along with white tights and small Mary-Jane shoes. She had her short hair in two adorable pigtails on either side of her hair, tied with white ribbons.

"No, she says all of our names. Along with 'uh-oh' and 'mine'," Ranon murmured. "Anyway, Merry Christmas... I might as well, get ready for the party. Like this adorable girlie here."

The other spirits agreed and soon, they all left to do what needed to be done. The young woman had said her good-byes, addressing each of them by their names. That left Ranon and Rosie May all by themselves. The small child looked at her older sister. With a cute giggle, she exclaimed, "Bunny! Tooth! Frost!"

Ranon laughed. She put her fingers to her lips and made a 'shh' noise. Rosie May nodded and mirrored her actions. Then she clapped and didn't say anything else as Ranon got ready. However, Ranon couldn't help but enjoy the fact the fact that she learned those words. It'd be hard to make her stop believing now.


	22. Twenty-One: Human Storyteller

_**OMG. I am so sorry. I've hit a writing bump on the road during the holidays. AKA I lost my muse. but I got it back now, I think. So, please, be gentle on this horribly written chapter. TT^TT**_

* * *

"Ryan, give the doll back to Rin!"

"Oh my goodness, Ruby, for the last time, yes. You bast the turkey every 20 minutes."

"Can someone get me some new clothes for Emily?"

"Raylor! Apologize to Jaylor! Jaylor, you know better than to piss of your brother like that!"

"Ruka, you need to finish the dessert while I clean up Rosie May's mess."

"Taylor, help me put all the food out on the table, okay?"

Ah, Christmas day. Ranon woke up bright and early to help her mom start the turkey. Ever since then, it was cleaning and cooking and even more cleaning. The smaller kids were chaotic and the older kids tried to stay in line. There were squabbles about everything. 'He didn't do this chore'. 'She stole my toy'! 'I was supposed to vacuum because I can't wash the dishes with my cut'. Chaotic, indeed.

Eventually, the time came for Christmas dinner. After that would be dessert then presents. Everyone was dressed up. The boys had either bowties or ties on, with their hair actually styled. The girls had holiday dresses, most of them donned make-up and hairstyles. Ranon wore her Storyteller dress with her hair up in a small beehive bun. Rosie May and Rin had fun putting golden sparkles in her bun, so it looked sparkly and magical. Rin had called her a fairy.

The 10 children and Donna Rae did the last few homey touches before the Bennett family knocked on the door. Donna Rae opened the door and instantly, Sophie ran to Rin. Both of them were like two peas in a pod. They instantly went to the nursery to go play dolls. Jamie went to the triplets, hugging Raylor first. Jamie smiled at Ranon before running to the triplets' room. Ranon watched the younger children as they played in the living room. She followed to make sure they wouldn't make a big mess. At one point Ranon had Emily in her arms as she walked into the kitchen. She was getting juice for Rosie May.

"Rannie with a baby?"

"There's a sight I'm going to have to get used to."

Ranon blinked and looked at the jacket room. There, stood her four older cousins. There was Jem and Izzy, along with Scout and Matthew. She let out a laugh in disbelief. But seeing as how they didn't disappear, she stopped laughing. "My goodness! You guys made it!"

There was suddenly a baby's wail. Ranon gasped as two beautiful women walked through the door. One of them held a baby in a huge, wool bundle. "W-Who... what? ... Mama!"

It took a while for the four brothers to settle down. But, soon, Ranon got up to date.

Jem was an auto mechanic at a big dealership. Being 24, no one would have guessed that he was married. He married Isabel, a British woman who had an adorable accent. The two had a child. His name was Eric.

Izzy was on his way to becoming a doctor, on his fifth year of university. He explained to Ranon that being a doctor would take an extremely long time but it was worth all the hard work. He was specializing in the emergency section and might even be a mobile doctor.

Scout was 22 and he was a trainee in performing arts. He was training to sing and dance, to do interviews properly and to model. Ranon never would've guessed that Scout would be into singing and dancing. There, he found Amelia, another trainee who's focus performance art is ballet. The two promise to marry once they were allowed to. Apparently, trainees aren't even allowed to date.

Matthew was 20 and he was in university. He didn't know where he was going just yet. Somewhere in the computer animation field. That was about all he had figured out. He still acted very much like a kid, hanging around with Ruby and Ruka more than his brothers. He actually hung around all the Patricks and Bennett kids.

Christmas dinner was entertaining to say the least. Scout got into an active conversation about the entertainment industry with Ruka, which made them practically yell at each other from across the table. Emily was interested in the small 5-month-old baby and squealed whenever he looked at her. The triplets were being the triplets, along with a side of Jamie. Jamie had Raylor going on about Bigfoot and Abominable Snowmen. They claimed that the two are hairy relatives that just live across the world from each other.

Ranon found herself laughing softly at all the children. She was amused to say the least. And happy. She was unbelievably happy. What she told Jack when she visited the workshop was true. She was happy just taking care of her family. But he said it, then Bunny had said it. There was a hole somewhere.

Dinner and dessert were hard to clean up afterwards. The younger kids made huge messes. The older ones refused to stop eating. When there was nothing but measly leftovers, everyone had settled down enough to start opening presents. The younger kids went first, exclaiming at all the wonderful presents they got. Jamie Bennett picked up one that was addressed to him, coming from Santa. With bright eyes, he ripped off the wrapping paper. "Wow!"

"Rannie, that's-"

"That's what happens when you know the big guy," Ranon quickly interrupted Jem. With a quick glare, Jem knew not to say anymore. Jamie grinned and hugged the storybook.

"You know him! You actually know him!"

Ranon sighed. She didn't have time to give the present to North. But it was better late than never. She'd explain the whole thing to the big guy later. She couldn't bear to see Jamie be sad because he didn't get a storybook. Though, he probably wouldn't be sad for too long. He had an impressive array of toys and Christmas presents.

"Rannie, I need to talk to you," Matthew suddenly said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the jacket room. He closed the door that separated the jacket room from the kitchen. The young man heavily sighed. Ranon crinkled her nose and crossed her arms in discontent.

"Matthew, the storybook needs to go to Jamie," she said with a definitive tone. The boy ran his hand through his brown hair, which was the same shade as Ranon's.

"But it's been in our family for generations. You can't just give away an heirloom like that," he protested. Ranon took a deep breath. It'd be hard to explain.

"You know my scar?" A noiseless nod from Matthew. "Well, it turns out it's from the Boogeyman." Silence. "That storybook. He can use it to hurt me because somehow I am tied to that book. If he finds out I don't have it, he's instantly going to go find the other Patricks. Jamie will take good care of the book."

The silence was deafening. It was so uneasy, Ranon had no idea what to think. Matthew probably didn't believe her. His face was grim and shadowed. He was clearly thinking about something that was bothering him. His fists tightened and she swore he was going to explode at her. Instead, his fists loosened and his shoulders slumped.

"I had a dream about Sonny a week ago. Sonny was being consumed by the Boogeyman. Darkness everywhere. Sonny, he had the storybook in his hands and pages were being ripped out of it by what seemed like shadows. Sonny and the storybook disappeared. I... I think it was a vision," he muttered. "Everyone else said it was just a bad dream. It couldn't have been."

"Matthew, what are you talking about? Why wouldn't it have been a bad dream?" she asked, a little confused.

The boy sighed and started rolling up his long sleeves. He rolled the shirt up until most of his arm was showing. "Because of this." He turned so that his right arm faced Ranon. What she saw wasn't unfamiliar but it was so shocking, as well. A fear wound, much like the scar on Ranon's face.

There was something she remembered. Something she realized. Pitch can only harm storytellers. She thought all the human storytellers had died off long ago. "Matthew, are you telling stories?" she asked curiously, though it was easy to detect the panicked tone in her voice.

"Doesn't everyone?" he asked. Ranon quickly shook her head.

"There's a type of person whose stories become so powerful that they become real. Whether it's already happened or it is to come, their stories are real. They're called storytellers. The Patricks family... all of us descend from the original Storyteller. The storybook belonged to the original Storyteller," she explained.

Matthew took a while to absorb it all in. It was another horrible moment of silence. "So the Boogeyman... he's real? And he's trying to hurt us?"

"_Scare _us. He lives off of fear. If we live in fear, his power grows stronger. Also... with storytellers, if they tell scary stories..."

"He'll get that much more stronger, huh?" Matthew said. Ranon nodded and sighed. The young man grew irritated and a little incredulous."So, mind telling me what else is real? Santa? The Tooth Fairy? Cupid? The Easter Bunny?"

"And the Sandman. And Jack Frost," Ranon said, with a completely serious tone. Matthew was slightly on the joking side. It could be even considered mocking. Seeing as how she wasn't joking, he sighed.

"So the book goes to Jamie. It'd be safer with him. As for us, what do we do? If he could hurt us, he could very well kill us!" he said. Ranon nodded grimly.

"Just don't tell scary stories. Whatever you do, no matter how you're tempted. You can't. Matthew, you also need to promise me one thing."

"Anything, Rannie. You've kind of helped explain a whole lot of crazy shit that's been happening to me."

"Don't tell anyone else. They don't know. They can't know. If people knew of your gift, of our gift, they'd use the power of storytelling for their own personal gain. Just continue telling stories of—"

"Wonder and fun. Hope and dreams. Memories and faith. Rannie, I know how to use this. I admit the first stories were selfish on my part but I didn't know how to use it right. Don't worry, just keep doing what you do best."

Ranon smiled. Over the 7 years that Ranon moved away from Mount Burgess completely, she stayed in touch with Matthew the most. They were always the closest cousins because they were closer in age than everybody else. Before that, Ranon, Matthew and Sunny would always play together while Jem, Izzy and Scout played together. They were unofficial best friends. "Telling stories like a grandmother?"

"And I'll be by your side, telling stories like a grandfather." The two laughed, Matthew ruffling her hair and messing up her elegant hairstyle.


	23. Twenty-Two: Last Day of Being a Child

_**Double update! Yay! Just wanted to get these chapters out of the way before the real climax-y stuff begins. Then it's almost the end! *flails* This might be the first fanfic I finished~ :'D *hearts everywhere***_

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Over the next 5 days, Ranon was sure she was losing her faith in everything. Why, you ask? There were some reasons.

The daycare had told her that she was no longer needed, as someone came along who was 'much more qualified' to teach children. Meaning, she had already went through university and got her degree. Ranon saw how she taught. She treated the kids like they had to learn a certain way, that everything needed to have a purpose. Kids needed space to learn their own purpose, even at an early age. The new teacher had no idea that one of the boys loved to play dolls with the girls. She had instead took it away from him and sent him to the racecar section. "The boy might get confused later on," she said. "Setting them down on the right path this early will help them well later on," she said. Oh, how Ranon loathed such words with a passion. She was living proof that kids turn out fine whether he's a boy that plays dolls or she's a girl that plays racecars.

That and it seemed that her mother was getting sicker and sicker. Donna Rae couldn't go too long without having to sit down and regain her energy. With 10 children, that wasn't something she could do. Her mother could barely eat anything. If she tried to eat, her stomach would most likely just toss it back the way it came. Donna Rae couldn't hold anything in her stomach for long. She had a nasty stomach flu. While Ranon took care of her, the others began to get sick too.

The babies were the first to have the flu. They were the hardest, especially when Ranon's mom was out of commission. They cried and screamed. Emily and Rosie May rarely smiled or talked anymore. All they did was cry and puke and scream and cry some more. It came to a point where they refused to eat and cried later on, their stomachs empty.

Soon, all the others began to get sick. On December 30th, the people who weren't sick were the ones who first got it and Ranon. Donna Rae and Ranon couldn't do all the cleaning by themselves, as Emily and Rosie May couldn't be left alone for too long. That, and there were 7 other kids who were throwing up every half hour... the situation became quite hopeless.

There was also no extra money coming into the household. With Ranon's job gone, all the money was coming from child tax and Donna Rae's paycheck. Child tax wouldn't be until the 20th of January and Donna Rae's paycheck wouldn't be until the 4th of January. The house was slowly losing its supply of food and everyday household items. By December 30th, no person could have the same meal. They all had to have scraps of meals and measly leftovers.

They were in quite bad shape. Ranon was losing her ability to believe in anything anymore. Such a turn of events left her stressed and worried, anxiously crying herself to sleep every night. Her rest never lasted for long as one of her family members would come to her for help. The children hated puking on their own. At some point, all the sick children would come to her at different times in the night, saying they didn't feel well.

It was her last day of being 17. Or as everyone else called it, her last day of being a child. She'd be an adult tomorrow. She would no longer be under the Guardians' protection. Pitch would surely make his move then. She'd though she'd go out with a bang. Happy and yearning.

But she was melancholy. Stressed. Anxious. Worried. She couldn't think a single happy thought without some depressing though coming straight after. She wanted to stay a kid. She never wanted to grow up. She never wanted to have these thoughts all the time. She never wanted to be an adult.

Ranon had just finished helping Ryan empty the contents of his stomach. Donna Rae sighed and looked at her oldest daughter. "Sugar, I know you're trying to help everybody out of their fix but you need to help yourself out of your own. Go take a walk. Empty your mind and play in the snow a little. I got everything under control here," her mother said.

With great reluctance, Ranon got herself ready to go for a walk. She put on her yellow hat and mitts. A string of 'see you later' yells emanated from all over the place as Ranon walked out.

She breathed in the chilly air and sighed softly. Over the last 5 days, she almost forgot that she was a storyteller. She almost forgot about the Guardians. She didn't get many visits from them, seeing as how a lot of them didn't have a lot of free time. Ranon didn't mind them not visiting. She was kind of glad for it. The young woman didn't need to think about her great and ultimate destiny just yet. She was too busy taking care of the people who mattered most.

_Whack!_

A snowball had hit Ranon in the back of the head. She yelped, sounding more surprised than anything. Her hand instantly went to her hat as she turned around. Ranon was expecting Jack, laughing as he stood on top of his staff. Instead, it was Matthew, grinning widely. "I thought you were supposed to be in Canada by now," she exclaimed with a laugh.

"I was. But once I reached Vancouver, I realized that I didn't want to go back to Emerald Lake. I wanted to be here with you on your 18th birthday. Apparently, it's your last birthday for a while," Matthew explained, still donning that huge smile on his face. Ranon furrowed her brow, a little confused.

"Why did you get the least amount of fun out of your whole family? I mean, Matthew and I have been playing for hours!" Jack exclaimed, flying down to the ground. His trademark smirk was evident. Despite being really happy to see the winter spirit, she crinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes.

"Jack Frost, you no-good snowflake! Take that back!" Ranon yelled as she made a snowball and tried throwing the snowball at him. Jack dodged it and laughed.

It was a good walk. Ranon got just the boost she needed. Some good ol' Jack Frost and even better ol' Matthew Patricks. Now, she was filled with hope. Hope means wishing something would happen.

"And faith is believing something would happen," Pitch chuckled darkly. "Ranon, do you still believe that you will become Storyteller?"

Truth was... with the events going on, being Storyteller was on the back of Ranon's mind. She didn't really believe she was going to become Storyteller. Not with all the things she needed to do at home. Now, will she believe with all her heart in 24 hours?


End file.
